The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) plans to fine residents who waste water from October, with curbs meant to last until the 2027 monsoon. Municipal Commissioner Amol Yedge has tied the move to El Niño and a weak rain year, according to Pudhari. The corporation wants its supply to stretch through June 2027.
What the corporation will penalise
Pudhari lists two headline offences: pouring water on roads and washing vehicles with drinking water. The civic body has also said it will require stop-valves on taps, cut off motors in areas where households pull water at high pressure, fix leaking lines faster and act against water theft.
The October rules build on a drive that started in August. On August 20, Yedge’s team fined a Paithan Gate resident Rs 10,000 for leaving a tap running after the household tank had filled, sending water onto the street, the Free Press Journal reported. CSMC’s list of banned practices then covered more ground than the October headlines suggest:
- drawing more municipal water than a household needs;
- leaving taps open after the tank fills, or letting tanks overflow onto the road;
- washing streets or homes with drinking water;
- excessive vehicle washing;
- ignoring leaks in household connections;
- leaving taps running in public places.
Neither report gives a fixed fine schedule for October. The Rs 10,000 penalty in August is the only amount on record so far, so residents should treat it as a guide to how seriously the corporation means this, and not as the official rate.
Why a city with a new pipeline is rationing
The timing looks odd at first. Sambhajinagar is finally receiving water from its Rs 2,740 crore supply scheme. Pudhari reports the new line is delivering about 100 million litres a day, and most areas now get water every three to four days. A few months ago the gap ran to four to seven days in most wards and 10 to 15 days on the city’s edges, Outlook reported in June.
Marathwada’s rain explains it. The state has declared drought in 265 talukas this season, and the district administration began asking villages to conserve water as early as June. A city that has just gained supply cannot count on the source holding up through a dry summer. Yedge’s stated aim is to make the water last until the monsoon returns in June 2027.
The scheme itself has a long record of slippage. Outlook traced its cost from an early estimate of Rs 800 to 900 crore to around Rs 2,700 crore, a deadline that moved from 2020-21 to 2026-27, and at least two contractors who walked away. The Bombay High Court has been monitoring the work through regular progress reports.
Who gets water next
For households in the city’s “no-network” pockets, the more important update concerns connections. Satara-Devlai, Mitmita, Mitsarwadi, Pisadevi Road and Sundarwadi should start receiving phased supply within about a month, with full coverage targeted before Diwali, Navarashtra reported on September 28. Engineers are testing and chlorinating new tanks and flushing internal lines, and officials have told contractors to add workers.
If you live in one of these areas, expect trial runs and irregular timings before a steady schedule settles in. Report leaks on new connections early, since the corporation now treats unrepaired leaks as wastage.
What to watch
Three things will show whether the October rules work. First, whether CSMC publishes a clear fine schedule and a complaint channel, so enforcement does not depend on which lane an inspector visits. Second, whether the no-network areas get water before Diwali, on a project that has already slipped by more than five years. Third, whether the three-to-four-day cycle holds into the summer. Residents who have paid for tankers for years will judge the scheme by that last number.
Sources: Pudhari, Free Press Journal, Navarashtra, Outlook
This report was written with AI assistance from the publicly reported sources linked here; each fact was cross-checked against at least two of them.