Pune will face a citywide water-supply suspension every Thursday from October 15 after the Pune Municipal Corporation introduced conservation measures to manage reduced water availability following a rainfall deficit in Maharashtra. The PMC has also prohibited the use of drinking water for construction and ordered vehicle-washing centres to shut until the next monsoon.
The measures follow a Maharashtra government directive asking civic bodies to impose a 10 per cent water cut and prepare for the possibility that the effects of this year’s weak monsoon could continue into next year. The PMC said the objective is to ensure that available water lasts until August 31, 2027.
“The Maharashtra government has issued an order saying El Niño led to less rainfall this monsoon and its effects are likely to continue next year. Thus, it is necessary to use available water judiciously and plan properly so that it lasts till August 31 next year,” Additional Municipal Commissioner Pavneet Kaur said.
Under the PMC’s plan, the entire city will receive no water supply on Thursdays. Kaur said the weekly suspension would begin on October 15 and was intended to conserve stored water for use through the next monsoon period. Civic authorities have been directed to carry out micro-planning and distribute available water according to priority.
The water restrictions will also affect construction sites. The PMC has banned the use of drinking water for construction and recommended that project operators use greywater instead. The decision places an immediate compliance requirement on construction activity across the city, although the civic body’s announcement, as reported, does not specify a separate enforcement mechanism or penalty structure.
Vehicle-washing centres have been ordered to close as part of the conservation measures. The PMC has additionally appealed to residents not to use drinking water for swimming pools, washing private vehicles, gardening or cleaning open spaces. Citizens have been asked to report leaks and other instances of drinking-water wastage to the civic administration.
The restrictions come as the dams supplying Pune hold 26.22 thousand million cubic feet of water, a level lower than the storage recorded during the corresponding period last year. The PMC said the state government’s 10 per cent conservation directive could be increased if the situation worsens.
The announcement brings household supply, construction demand and non-essential urban water use under a single conservation framework. It also makes weekly scheduling a central part of Pune’s water-management response, with the city’s available storage being managed against the stated target of carrying supplies until August 31, 2027. The Thursday suspension and the restrictions on construction and vehicle washing take effect from October 15.
