district administration irrigation department population Aadhaar card data water supply department With an indifferent monsoon this year, several areas have faced water cuts Civic body and irrigation dept were relying on 2011 figures till now;to hand over report by Tuesday.The long-standing face-off between theand Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) could finally see a resolution. To arrive at a logical conclusion of the total number of Puneites using water released from the dams, PMC has asked the Pune district collector to provide them with details of the current, including details of the floating population.Accordingly, the district administration has instructed the statistics department to measure the total population on the basis of the latest census, area-wiseand revised voter registration lists. The administration is expected to hand over the report by Tuesday.The request for exact figures from PMC commissioner Saurabh Rao comes amid a slew of water cuts for the city and an ongoing war of words between PMC and the irrigation department. While PMC claims that the irrigation department is providing only 1,150 million litres per day (MLD), irrigation officials say the number is 1,600 MLD. However, due to the absence of official statistics, both authorities were relying upon the 2011 census and approximate figure of the total population in Pune city.This battle was already brewing when the Mutha canal collapse occurred, adding fuel to the fire and leading to major water cuts across the city. Protests broke out both from residents and opposition leaders.Speaking to Mirror, V G Kulkarni, chief of PMC’s, said, “With the water cuts, we are officially getting only 1,150 MLD, making the situation worse on ground zero. The irrigation authorities are not considering the 2018 population. To bring in clarity, we have written to the district administration, asking for the correct population figures. As of now, the irrigation authorities are not accepting the fact that the population is more than 40 lakh.”“We have urged the authorities to provide a detailed breakup of the census, Aadhaar data and area-wise population and voter registrations in Pune over the past few years. We have also asked for the floating population figures if possible and are now awaiting the report,” he added.Kulkarni further said, “By getting the 2018 population figures, we can draft a fresh demand for water from the irrigation department. The quota is being sanctioned till 2021 and aspects such as floating population, fringe villages and recently merged villages would make a big difference, which is being neglected by the irrigation authorities. With the arrival of huge housing projects in fringe areas and IT parks, major skilled and unskilled manpower has migrated to the city. This population has increased the water demand multifold.”An official from the district administration, requesting anonymity, said, “We have instructed the district statistics department to collect data as per the requirement. It is difficult to gather the figure of the floating population as there are multiple aspects to measure. However, on the basis of the latest census, Aadhaar and voter data, we will manage the figures.”

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