Corporator asks PMC to restore water supply on day of solar eclipse; Pune civic body says closure to be implemented as planned
As per the schedule, PMC has planned a shutdown of the water supply to the entire city for maintenance repairs every month to ensure smooth water supply to citizens
Corporator Manjushree Khardekar appealed to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to stop the scheduled water pipeline repairs on Thursday and provide water supply to the city area against the backdrop of a solar eclipse on December 26.
As per the schedule, PMC has planned a shutdown of the water supply to the entire city for maintenance repairs every month to ensure smooth water supply to citizens. However, Khardekar wrote a letter to the PMC mayor Murlidhar Mohol to postpone the maintenance work to another day because of the solar eclipse on Thursday.
VJ Kulkarni, head of water works, PMC, stated that it is a planned closure of the entire water supply and it will be carried out as planned. “It is a major shutdown at the very source, at Khadakwasla. The water pumping machines have been running non-stop for more than six weeks, and the last maintenance was on November 7. There are major maintenance works required for the transformers, hence, the work cannot be delayed,” said Kulkarni.
However, Khardekar added, “The solar eclipse occurs on Thursday and following Hindu religious belief, one needs to clean the house and take a bath after the eclipse and for that people will need water, hence, I have appealed to the mayor to postpone the maintenance of the water pipelines.”
This year’s last solar eclipse will take place in the morning at 8.04.34 am and end at 10.57.52 am and in Pune, it will be a partial eclipse.
Reacting to the appeal, Hamid Dhabolkar, member of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), said, “The solar eclipse does not affect human life, it is a simple science lesson in Class 6 text book, and yet we still have many superstitious beliefs. MANS is trying to spread awareness about this, so hence, on Thursday, we are conducting a state-wide campaign with experts explaining the science behind the solar eclipse,” said Dabholkar. He also added that corporators should have scientific attitude towards life and avoid supporting superstitions.