Nagpur: Barely a year after spending Rs1.24 crore on cleaning contaminated wells, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is set to spend a staggering Rs2.23 crore more on the exercise. Internal documents accessed by TOI reveal a sharp mismatch between expenditure and outcomes. Of the 860 public wells across 10 zones, 743 cleaning operations were carried out between 2022 and 2025. Yet nearly 45% (385 wells) remain unattended, underscoring the limited impact of repeated interventions. The 2025–26 proposal plans to clean 353 wells, leaving a significant number outside its scope. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) had warned that leaking underground sewer lines were contaminating well water, rendering it unfit for consumption. Despite this, the civic body lacks a targeted remediation plan, relying instead on periodic cleaning that fails to address the source of pollution.Spending patterns heighten concern. NMC spent Rs73.25 lakh on well cleaning in 2024 and Rs51.56 lakh in 2025. However, the budget for cleaning has almost doubled in 2026.Zone-wise data highlights planning gaps. Gandhibagh, with 126 wells, has marked eight as “clean” while 91 were cleaned between 2022 and 2024. This year, the NMC plans to clean 37 wells, indicating repeated cycles. Similar inconsistencies and flawed prioritisation are visible across other zones. NMC data shows that in Ashi Nagar, which has 104 wells, 84 wells were cleaned in 2023 and 26 in 2025. Now, the civic body has proposed to clean 78 wells in 2026.In several other areas, too, proposed cleaning operations match or exceed the number of pending wells, pointing to duplication and weak monitoring. While some wells are cleaned repeatedly, many remain neglected.The report also mentions the use of guppy fish in select wells in Dhantoli, Lakadganj, and Ashi Nagar to curb mosquito breeding. However, there is no clarity on whether this has improved water quality, particularly in wells affected by sewage ingress.Yearly trends also reflect inconsistency. Cleaning peaked at 263 wells in 2024 before dropping to 212 in 2025, despite a growing backlog — a pattern civic experts attribute to poor oversight rather than lack of funds.Public wells, once vital as emergency water sources and contributors to groundwater recharge, now pose a dual threat — health risks and environmental degradation.The latest proposal, cleared under a supplementary budget, includes desilting, dewatering and installation of information boards. However, without addressing sewer leakages and contamination pathways identified by NEERI, the exercise risks becoming a costly cycle of cleaning without resolution.INFOBOX: NAGPUR’S PUBLIC WELLS UNDER SCANNERZones– Total Wells–Cleaned–ProposedGandhibagh–126—91–37Ashi Nagar–104—110–78Dharampeth–103–74–56Dhantoli–101—80–4Laxmi Nagar–96—89—31Nehru Nagar–89—76–73Hanuman Nagar—82—76–17Satranjipura–69—64—12Mangalwari–56—51—33Lakadganj–34—32—12NEERI findings:Several wells unfit for drinkingSewage mixing identified as key causeCleaning record (2022-2025):2022: 852023: 1832024: 2632025: 212Total: 743Expenditure: 2024: Rs73.25 lakh2025: Rs51.56 lakhTotal: Rs124.82 lakhPending wells: 3852026 plan:Proposed cleaning: 353 wellsBudget: Rs2.23 croreRed flags:Nearly 50% of wells still uncleanBudget doubled without fixing contaminationRepeated cleaning vs neglected wellsNo clear action on sewage leakage flagged by NEERI
