Pune: Maharashtra govt has made it mandatory to set up rainwater harvesting and solid waste or bio-sludge management systems before local authorities approve applications for new water connections or drainage lines in old buildings.Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) plans to set up a special team to implement the directives.Civic officials said 80 to 100 connections are issued per month on average. As many as 3,000 to 5,000 users benefit from these connections, mainly depending upon the size and type of property.State govt’s GR said that when property owners apply for a new utility connection for an old building, they must attach their original construction permission and a valid structural stability certificate. Thereafter, a municipal engineer will visit the site in person to inspect the property and determine if there is enough space to build rainwater harvesting and waste management units without endangering the building, neighbours or existing utility pipes — like gas and electricity. If the engineer’s report is satisfactory, property owners must sign a formal undertaking assuring full responsibility for any future issues arising from the new systems. Once the installation is complete and certified, the engineer will conduct one final inspection to ensure everything is built properly, after which the local authority will clear the new water or drainage connection.PMC officials said the work to approve water connections and implement green building norms was linked to two different departments — building permission and water supply departments. Approval for drainage lines falls under the drainage department. The team to implement the GR would have officials from all three departments. Data of the property tax department that gives waivers to buildings with green building norms would also be used.City engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar said, “The civic body will follow state’s directives. The implementing team will coordinate with all departments concerned.”PMC allows water connection sizes based on the number of flats in a building. Those with six flats are permitted half inch connection, properties with 12 flats are granted a three-fourth inch connection and properties exceeding 24 flats are allowed a one inch connection. Unauthorised connection sizes attract strict penalties, with fines varying by property type.Activists said the civic administration would be able to implement the new norms only if they also control illegal water connections. “The civic administration is struggling to deal with such connections. Many property owners have taken connections without proper documentation or formalities. PMC should ensure such activities are curbed,” said Vivek Velankar of citizens’ group Sajag Nagrik Manch.Civic data showed PMC areas have around 4 lakh legal water connections, but the number of illegal ones was around 4.5 lakh. In 2024, the civic body started to simplify the process for water connections by reducing the number of documents required. In its new initiative called fast-track water connections, PMC planned to reduce procedural delays and bring down illegal water connections, civic officials said.
