Rainwater Harvesting Is The Solution for Pune's Water Scarcity Woes, Say Citizens

Time of India

15-05-2025

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Pune: Rapid and unchecked urban growth has for years left city residents grappling with water woes — not just in peripheral areas but also the heart of the city.
Many resedential units have said that irregular or contaminated supply increases their dependence on tankers, leading to huge expenditure.
At such a juncture, societies investing in
rainwater harvesting
systems are already accruing multiple benefits of this crucial infrastructural update.
Many complexes that set up this facility cited reduced dependence on tankers and so, less annual spending. Others said that whether you rely on tankers or get regular civic supply, rainwater harvesting is still a sustainable
solution
for long-term benefits.
Col Shashikant Dalvi (retd), who has advocated for rainwater harvesting systems for over a decade, has helped direct more than 100 crore litres annually into Pune's depleting groundwater table.
His efforts have till date aided at least 140 villages and several societies in urban areas to go tanker-free.
He told TOI, "Since March, the city is facing water scarcity; as the heat intensified, it only got worse. Rising temperatures increased evaporation rate of reservoir stock and local bodies struggled to meet daily water demands of
citizens
, forcing the latter to over-extract depleting groundwater or depend on costly tankers to meet their needs."
He emphasised, "For Pune's overall growth, it is essential that water management be given top priority."
Invest now, save in abundance year-on-year
From spending Rs1.5 lakh monthly on tankers to just Rs25,000 a month, Beryl Apartments in Kharadi has almost won the battle against water scarcity — all thanks to rainwater harvesting.
"We invested Rs3 lakh and set up a rainwater harvesting system in 2024. In just one year, the benefits have been amazing.
It was an excellent investment. This year, we just needed a few tankers over the last two months," said working committee member Rajendra Wagh.
This society not only collects rainwater in its borewell but also sends a portion to mix with flush tank water. A filter system cleans this water to make it usable for utility purposes.
Now, they have three water sources — the borewell, the rainwater collected in the flush tank and filtered, and a third from a separate tank set up only for rainwater.
"We also collected water from the society podium to replenish groundwater through soak pits. Groundwater can be used by other societies, too. It's not just about resolving our issues, but also that of the neighbourhood. It has to be a collective effort to conserve our natural water resources and fight the scarcity Pune faces today," society secretary DK Rama Swamy added. The 210-flat society is almost tanker-free and is now looking at more ways to conserve water.
Better quality water is guaranteed
Crosswinds society in Baner, which houses 88 flats, also set up rainwater harvesting in 2022. They used to spend about Rs40,000 on tankers monthly when in need — but now they are tanker-free.
"Rainwater harvesting is the minimum citizens can do, in a time when civic bodies are unable to fulfill our water requirement. We are very happy with the decision to install the system when we did.
In fact, both Pune (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad (PCMC) municipal corporations should mandate rainwater harvesting for all societies. The urban region is expanding exponentially, but essential resources and infrastructure to support it remain the same," society managing committee member Manoj Nair said.
According to him, the investment paid for itself and will continue to do so in the long run. "Through it, we are also able to ensure better quality water, compared to supply through tankers.
This offers each of us peace of mind that is priceless. We use this water mainly for utility purposes," Nair explained.
Invaluable resource for newly merged areas
In Undri, Nyati Serenity Enclave society got no water supply from PMC and was entirely dependent on tankers. Setting up a rainwater harvesting system was a crucial step in ensuring reliable supply and reducing tanker expenditure. Management committee member Varun Shourie was instrumental in this process.
Society chairman Sajeev Nair told TOI, "It has undoubtedly helped us. We have 118 bungalows and used to call 400 tankers a month. Now, we have reduced this by 100 tankers per month during the two-three months of monsoon. We are also charging a couple of borewells during this time. We have also been looking at different ways in which we can improve the system."
The managing committee also hopes to build a sewage treatment plant (STP) to update the setup.
This water, they said, could be utilised for the garden. Another society member said, "This return of investment is great; the best way to make use of available resources."
First monsoon with new system for many this year
Residents of the Sai Platina society in Ravet are hopeful that in 2025, their water problems will be better managed as they are currently setting up a rainwater harvesting system.
"Firstly, we want to replenish groundwater levels in our area.
Secondly, we want to ensure that we get good quality water," said society chairperson Amol Kalekar.
The society currently gets water from PCMC every other day. They even have to turn supply off from 10am to 5pm. Despite these measures, on some days this summer, they were forced to call for two tankers daily on average.
Kalekar said, "We are in the process of connecting our terrace to an existing borewell in the society using pipes, to allow for water to be saved instead of just being run-off.
We were seeing a lot of messages on social media about benefits of rainwater harvesting and really hope it will help us."
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While it is important that societies install rainwater harvesting systems, the bigger responsibility of resolving water scarcity rests with civic bodies. Citizens are investing their own money in such systems in addition to paying tax, but corporations continue to give permissions for new constructions even when water isn't sufficient for the existing population — Sunil Aiyer | Director, Mohammadwadi Undri Residents' Welfare Development Foundation
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Innumerable benefits for societies and the environment
1. Water conservation: Reduces immediate dependence on surface and groundwater, which are depleting because of overuse
2. Reducing flood risk: Reduced run-off can prevent urban flooding and protect properties
3. Managing storm water run-off: This helps prevent erosion, flooding and pollution
4. Groundwater recharge: The self-sustaining system replenishes groundwater in the long-term and reduces dependence on tankers or civic bodies for water
5. Environmental benefits: Reduces energy required to treat and transport water and leads to lower carbon emissions