While dependence on private tankers has steadily increased amid depleting groundwater and irregular water supply in many parts of the city, residents say the unchecked movement of heavy tankers through densely populated neighbourhoods has turned daily commuting into a nightmare.

“Following multiple serious and fatal accidents involving water tankers in recent weeks, we decided to launch a focused enforcement drive across the city against violators. During the operation, action was taken against tanker vehicles found entering during restricted hours, operating without valid permits or fitness certificates, and violating other provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. The drive will continue in the coming days and strict action will be taken against tanker operators and drivers found endangering public safety,” an officer from Pune City Traffic Control branch said.

Saee Kadam, an HR professional and resident of Kharadi, said, “Water tankers have become unavoidable because many housing societies do not receive adequate water supply. But the way many tanker drivers speed through narrow internal roads and crowded junctions has made daily commuting extremely stressful and unsafe.”

Nikhil Jagtap, a resident of Balewadi Phata, said tanker movement rises sharply during summer, especially during evening hours. “Some drivers jump signals, take wrong turns and drive aggressively to complete multiple trips quickly,” he said. “Heavy tankers moving recklessly through residential areas have become a serious safety concern for commuters and pedestrians alike.”

In the aftermath of the accidents, Pune RTO released a graphic reiterating basic but important aspects that tanker operators must keep in mind. These include ensuring checking maintenance of the tanker before driving, not driving when tired or sleepy, ensuring the tanker has equipment like a first-aid kit, torch, and fire extinguisher. The graphic also says, “Constant phone calls by customers = attention diverted”, shedding light on how mobile use while driving becomes an additional concern.

The graphic mentions that Read Under Run Protection Devices and Lateral Under Run Protection Devices are compulsory and drivers must ensure they are installed.

Water-borne diseases

Data from the civic health department shows over 10,000 cases of waterborne infections in 2025 alone. Official sources admit that largely they find cases from among villages that have been merged within the municipal corporation limits, where piped water supply is still not a reality.

While they did not rule out tanker water as a possible source, officials added that other factors, such as poorly maintained water tanks, could also be responsible.

According to the data there were 11,726 cases of water borne infections in 2024 and 11,758 in 2023. From January till April this year, the Pune Municipal Corporation health department registered 3,759 cases of water borne infections.

However, according to doctors it was difficult to determine the exact cause. Tankers usually source water from supplies under the PMC and the water is generally considered potable and adequately chlorinated.

“However, there could be multiple reasons involved, including travel-related factors. We also collect and review travel history as part of the assessment,” Dr Amit Dravid, consultant infectious diseases specialist told The Sunday Express.

He pointed out that there was a need for more granular data about mapping of diarrhoeal diseases all over Pune just to check whether areas supplied by tanker water had a higher number of such cases.

Meanwhile, as per data of the 10,000 to 11,000 cases of water borne infections being registered every year , a majority were due to acute diarrhoeal diseases followed by gastroenteritis. Water borne infections also included dysentery, viral hepatitis and enteric fever typhoid.

Civic health department officials have consistently appealed to residents to boil and filter drinking water that is supplied from private or civic water tankers- more so during the monsoon season. Officials stated that boiling water is a critical and necessary safety precaution to prevent water borne diseases.

(with inputs from Soham Shah)