Pune: A day after a tanker strike disrupted water supply across the NIBM Road–Undri belt, residents of Mohammadwadi, Undri and Pisoli faced a different crisis on Thursday, as tanker services resumed amid surging demand and rising costs.With many housing societies dependent on private tankers due to the absence of proper municipal water connections, the disruption exposed how fragile the area’s water supply remains.“Tankers came on Thursday, but Wednesday was a terrible situation, not just in Undri but across Mohammadwadi and Pisoli,” said Rohan Gaikwad, a resident of Undri and general secretary of NCP’s Pune unit. He pointed out that rapid construction over the past decade has far outpaced infrastructure. “Each sprawling society has 500-1,000 flats, all without Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) water supply. Even if overhead tanks function at full capacity, they will reduce tanker dependency by hardly 10-20 %,” he said, adding that development must be regulated until water supply catches up.While supply resumed after the strike was called off, the demand backlog was cited from the previous day to manifest a spike in prices, besides other factors. Pramod Borade, who runs a tanker service in Salunkhe Vihar, said, “We have increased prices by Rs100-200 to keep up with rising fuel costs. Rates vary depending on distance and frequency. Regular customers get lower prices, while others pay more.” He added that in Undri, rates typically range between Rs500 and Rs700, with around 60-70 tanker trips being made daily.However, not all operators follow the same pricing. Vinod Mhatre, a tanker operator on NIBM Road, said, “We charge between Rs1,000 and Rs 1,200 depending on the location and the commission we have to pay. Some society managers take a commission per tanker, and difficult routes with slopes and gradients also increase costs.”Operators and drivers also flagged the terrain as a challenge. Navigating steep gradients with heavy vehicles requires speed and precision, but congested roads and erratic two-wheeler movements make it risky, they said.Tanker operator Sushant Lonkar, who led Wednesday’s strike, acknowledged the possibility of overcharging amid high demand. “There is a chance that some operators might be overcharging to prioritise certain societies. If it is happening, it is wrong, but we do not have a system to track it,” he said. Lonkar added that demand remained unusually high on Thursday as societies rushed to refill depleted reserves. “We resumed deliveries on Wednesday night. The situation should stabilise by Friday,” he said.For some residents, the situation eased slightly. Sunil Koloti, a resident of Nyati Wind Chimes, said, “We received eight tankers on Tuesday night and three more on Thursday morning. We have an agreement, so we were not charged extra. It is a relief that our tanks are full now, but we have been waiting for PMC water supply since years without any outcome.”Prabhakar Singh, chairman of Shakuntala Kanade Park in Undri, said water supply to all three buildings in their complex is yet to resume. “Since morning, eight tankers have come but more are needed. It is only after water comes to a certain level that supply can start going to homes. We hope that the situation normalises by Friday,” he told TOI.Local corporator Nivrutti Bandal said PMC officials have assured that pipeline work linked to overhead tanks in Mohammadwadi will be expedited to provide some relief. “I will continue to follow up with PMC officials until this work is completed so that it does not remain another empty promise. For years, corporators have been pursuing the pipeline project, only to be met with repeated assurances that it will be done in a few months, yet little has changed on the ground. As a resident of the area, I understand the daily struggle of depending on tankers for water. This will remain my top priority, and I intend to see it through,” said Bandal.
