As temperatures continue to soar across Maharashtra, residents under the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) are grappling with a worsening water crisis. Despite the public’s growing frustration, local representatives—MLAs, MPs, and former corporators—have done little to address the issue.
Taking proactive steps, a delegation of Youth Congress leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) met party chief and Member of Parliament Sharad Pawar in Mumbai to highlight the crisis. Known for his prompt interventions, Pawar immediately reached out to Panvel Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale and urged him to act swiftly.
Responding without delay, Commissioner Chitale assured that a meeting with senior CIDCO officials would be held to plan remedial measures. Sources report that 29 villages within PMC limits, along with several CIDCO colonies, are facing acute water shortages.
The NCP Youth delegation, which met Pawar at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, also flagged other pressing civic concerns, including the redevelopment of the Taloja Sector 10 garden and poor road conditions. The delegation comprised Shahbaz Patel, Chand Sheikh, Shreyash Bhavsar, Harshal Patil, and Krishna Mardekar.
Following the meeting with Pawar, the youth leaders also held discussions with Commissioner Chitale to push for urgent resolutions. They expressed hope that Pawar’s involvement would accelerate action on these long-neglected issues.
In March, the civic body introduced weekly water cuts to ration supply until the anticipated arrival of the monsoon around June 15. PMC sources its water mainly from Dehrang Dam, supplemented by the Maharashtra Jal Pradhikaran (MJP) and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). However, increased withdrawals have significantly lowered Dehrang Dam’s water level, prompting area-wise supply cuts—each locality now faces a one-day water disruption every week.
PMC’s Water Supply Department estimates a daily demand of 30 million liters. Currently, 16 MLD is drawn from Dehrang Dam, with the rest sourced from MIDC and MJP. Compounding the problem, PMC often faces supply interruptions from the Patalganga River, especially on Sundays and Mondays, due to low river flow, power outages, and technical glitches at MJP and MIDC.
Deputy Engineer Vilas Chavan confirmed the growing strain on Dehrang Dam as PMC is forced to rely more heavily on its reserves to make up for shortfalls.
