Kharadi residents fear Indore-like tragedy

Residents of Pune's IT hub Kharadi are facing a serious threat to their health as sewage water has been found mixing with drinking water pipelines.

Satin Brick Co-operative Housing Society and several neighbouring societies have reported contamination for over a month. Shockingly, lab reports confirmed the presence of dangerous bacteria, including E. coli and faecal coliforms, yet the Pune Municipal Corporation has failed to act, leaving citizens enraged.

Tests conducted by Satin Brick Society revealed alarming results. The MPN index, which should be zero for potable water, has shot up to 150. Experts warn that consuming such water is akin to inviting death. The situation has drawn chilling parallels with Indore, where contaminated water recently claimed multiple lives. Residents fear that Pune may be heading towards a similar disaster if immediate measures are not taken.

Citizens have accused the PMC of negligence and demanded urgent intervention to prevent a public health catastrophe. The crisis has turned daily drinking water into a slow poison, shaking people's trust in the administration.

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Inspection report reveals shocking reality

Note: Water declared Not Potable - dangerous to life.

Clean water in one tank, poison in another

Society office-bearers revealed that despite receiving water from the same main pipeline, one overhead tank gets clean water while another fills with foul-smelling, black liquid. This clearly indicates a leakage in the municipal line where sewage is mixing with drinking water.

Taxpayers drained, PMC coffers full

Residents of Kharadi pay lakhs of rupees every year in water tax and property tax, yet for the past month, they have been forced to spend Rs 2-3 lakh monthly on private tankers. The tanker mafia thrives while citizens face double exploitation. "Are we paying water tax to buy poison," asked Satin Brick Society representatives.

The society lodged written complaints on March 5 and on March 27. Officials only promised 'inspection' and disappeared, they said. Furious senior citizens asked: "Will the administration wake up only after bodies start piling up?"

Major health crisis looming

Experts warned that E. coli contamination can trigger gastroenteritis, typhoid, cholera and jaundice. Fear grips families, especially for children and the elderly. Residents have warned of mass agitation if corporators and PMC fail to act immediately.

The warning is stark: If the civic body does not intervene, Kharadi could witness an Indore-like disaster, and citizens insist that only PMC officials will be held responsible.

Samarthnagar woes

Residents of Samarthnagar, Kharadi, allege that for the past two years, their taps have been supplying foul, black water mixed with drainage. Despite repeated complaints, the PMC has ignored the crisis, leaving citizens' health at risk. Old drainage lines remain uncleared, and the main cause is said to be unauthorised water connections. Locals claim that new connections are drilled illegally into the main pipeline, leaving old outlets open. When the drainage line chokes, sewage flows directly into drinking pipelines through these openings.