Fire brigade fears water scarcity in Pune

Like citizens, the fire fighting department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is concerned with the water scarcity that the city is facing.

With fire cases increasing during the summer, the department is worried they would have a tough time if a major fire breaks out.

The PMC has cut the water supply of the city by 20% due to the low levels of live water storage in the four dams of Temghar, Varasgaon, Khadakwasala and Panshet. The decision was taken on March 1, while summer is yet to set in. Puneites are worried they might have to face a huge water crunch, but the fire brigade department is worried about the struggle they may face to maintain adequate stock of water in their tanks for emergencies.

Chief fire officer of PMC’s fire department, Prashant Ranpise said, “Generally the water level goes down during the end of summer and we have to maintain the water level till monsoon arrives. But this time, the PMC announced the water cut in February.”

The fire brigade has 10 stations, which need to be alert round the clock with its head office in Bhavani Peth. Ranpise said, “We have a water tank of 1.25 lakh litres at the main station in Bhavani
Peth, which gets water supply from the PMC and a bore well. We have some smaller tanks at other stations.”

He said, “If a major fire breaks out in one of the slums, we will require a lot of water to douse it. If we face water shortage, we will have to take the help of private water tanker suppliers to manage the supply.”