Pimpri-Chinchwad, 1st April 2026: Amid growing concerns over water scarcity in Pimpri-Chinchwad, corporator Rahul Kalate has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to expedite the long-pending Pavana closed pipeline project by providing the remaining funds required for its completion.
Kalate met the Chief Minister in Mumbai on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum requesting immediate intervention to accelerate the project. The meeting comes after Kalate had earlier raised the issue in the general body meeting of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), highlighting the urgency of completing the scheme.
According to Kalate, nearly 90 percent of the land acquisition required for the project has already been completed. The municipal corporation has made a budgetary provision of тВ╣186 crore for the project. However, if at least 25 percent of the total project cost is not allocated, the civic body may face difficulties in floating fresh tenders, potentially causing further delays.
Speaking about the issue, Kalate said that water scarcity remains a critical challenge for a fast-growing city like Pimpri-Chinchwad. He added that there is rising public dissatisfaction over the alleged influence of tanker operators, and that completing the Pavana closed pipeline project would significantly improve the efficiency and reliability of the cityтАЩs water supply system. Kalate expressed confidence that the Chief Minister would take prompt action to expedite the project.
The city currently receives around 500 million litres of water daily from the Pavana Dam. The water flows naturally up to the Ravet bund and is then lifted and transported to the water treatment plant before being supplied to residents. Officials say that this system leads to significant water loss and also raises concerns about contamination due to mixing with polluted water.
The proposed closed pipeline project is expected to address these issues by transporting water directly through an underground pipeline. Authorities estimate that the system could save nearly 100 million litres of water per day, making additional potable water available for the rapidly growing city.
Kalate also pointed out that the project has remained pending for nearly 15 years, causing its estimated cost to escalate from about тВ╣300 crore to тВ╣1,256 crore. He has requested the Chief Minister to prioritise the project at the state level, ensure the required funding, and facilitate administrative intervention to speed up its implementation.
What is the Pavana Water Pipeline Project?
The civic body had proposed constructing a direct underground closed pipeline of about 34.71 kilometres from Pavana Dam to the water treatment plant at Nigdi Sector 23. The project aims to reduce water leakage and ensure the supply of cleaner water to residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad. Once completed, the pipeline is expected to help conserve nearly 100 MLD of water, which can be used to meet the cityтАЩs growing demand.
The post PCMC: Rahul Kalate Meets CM Devendra Fadnavis, Seeks Push for Long-Pending Pavana Pipeline Project appeared first on Punekar News.
