Water Wastage by Nagpur Municipal Corporation: A Persistent Challenge

thenewsdirt
Jul 14
6 min read

Nagpur, the winter capital of Maharashtra and a major city in the Vidarbha region, has been grappling with water supply issues for years. Despite ambitious projects aimed at providing 24x7 water supply to its residents, the city continues to face significant challenges, including substantial water wastage.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), tasked with managing the city’s water distribution, has faced scrutiny over its handling of water resources. T

This article examines water wastage by the NMC from 2020 to 2025, detailing the extent of losses, specific incidents, and ongoing efforts to address the issue.

Evolution of Nagpur’s Water Supply System

In 2012, the NMC partnered with Orange City Water (OCW), a joint venture between Veolia and Vishvaraj Infrastructure, to implement a 24x7 water supply system across Nagpur.

Funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), the project aimed to overhaul the city’s water infrastructure, reduce water losses, and ensure continuous and equitable water distribution to all residents, including those in slum areas.

The initiative was heralded as a pioneering effort to make Nagpur the first Indian city with a fully pressurised 24x7 drinking water supply system.

At the project’s inception, Nagpur’s water distribution network faced severe challenges. Non-revenue water (NRW), which encompasses water lost through leaks, theft, or unbilled consumption, accounted for nearly 60% of the total water supplied.

The 24x7 project set out to significantly reduce NRW while improving service delivery across the city’s diverse population.

Progress has been uneven over the years. By 2018, only 15% of households received round-the-clock water supply, and water losses remained at 60%.

By 2022, the NMC reported a reduction in NRW to 39%, marking a notable improvement. However, as of 2025, this figure has stagnated at approximately 39%, suggesting that further advancements have been elusive.

Quantifying Water Wastage in Nagpur

To grasp the scale of water wastage in Nagpur, it is crucial to examine the data. In 2025, the city supplies 730 million litres per day (MLD) of water, sourced primarily from the Pench reservoir and Kanhan River.

Of this, approximately 280 MLD, or 39%, is classified as NRW, representing a significant loss of resources and revenue for the NMC.

This translates to over 102 billion litres of water lost annually, enough to meet the needs of a substantial portion of the city’s population.

The following table illustrates NRW levels across Nagpur’s zones in 2025, highlighting disparities in water loss:

Zone	Volume of Water Supplied (MLD)	Non-Revenue Water (%)
Laxmi Nagar	74.10	36.76
Dharampeth	105.15	22.29
Hanuman Nagar	49.77	30.18
Dhantoli	33.73	43.32
Nehru Nagar	48.96	36.58
Gandhibagh	49.15	42.29
Satranjipura	73.20	47.41
Lakadganj	72.70	38.06
Ashi Nagar	83.79	57.19
Mangalwari	60.57	35.64

The data reveals significant variations, with Ashi Nagar experiencing the highest NRW at 57.19%, while Dharampeth reports the lowest at 22.29%. These differences often correlate with the age and condition of infrastructure, with older pipelines in zones like Ashi Nagar contributing to higher losses.

Historical trends provide further context. In 2018, water losses stood at 60%, reflecting systemic inefficiencies. By 2021, NRW had decreased to 41%, and by 2022, it reached 39%, with 261 MLD out of 655.20 MLD supplied being lost.

The lack of progress since 2022, with NRW remaining at 39% in 2025, indicates a plateau in efforts to curb wastage.

The financial implications of NRW are substantial. Assuming an average cost of ₹20 per kilolitre for producing and distributing water, the daily loss of 280 MLD equates to approximately ₹5.6 million in potential revenue. Annually, this amounts to over ₹2 billion, funds that could be reinvested into infrastructure upgrades or used to subsidise water for low-income residents.

Specific incidents underscore the ongoing challenges in water management. In May 2025, a pipeline leak in North Nagpur near Binaki Kanji House Chowk and Sheetla Mata Temple resulted in the daily wastage of thousands of litres of water. The leak, part of a newly completed pipeline project, persisted for four to five days despite multiple complaints to OCW and the NMC.

A local resident voiced frustration, stating, “We receive water for barely an hour every day, and even that is not enough”. The delay in addressing the leak exacerbated water shortages in an area already grappling with limited supply, highlighting issues with maintenance and response times.

This incident is not isolated. In June 2025, residents in Besa, Manewada, and Manish Nagar faced a five-day water supply disruption, further illustrating the fragility of the distribution network. Such events contribute to water wastage when systems fail to deliver water efficiently to consumers.

Efforts to Combat Water Wastage

The NMC and OCW have implemented several measures to address water wastage. OCW’s Integrated Command & Control Centre monitors water supply metrics in real-time, providing dashboards and GIS maps to track consumer complaints, supply hours, water pressure, and quality.

This system aims to enhance distribution efficiency and identify issues like leaks promptly. Additionally, OCW has deployed robots for leakage detection, which navigate pipelines to locate and target repairs, minimising water loss.

Infrastructure upgrades have also been a focus. Since 2012, OCW has laid approximately 600 km of new pipelines and rehabilitated or installed around 450,000 water connections.

The operation of five water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 750 MLD and the management of a 3,000 km distribution network are part of these efforts.

In 2024, four zones, Dharampeth, Nehru Nagar, Dhantoli, and Mangalwari, were declared tanker-free, a milestone attributed to 102 overhead tanks and 4,800 km of pipelines.

Superintending Engineer Shweta Banerjee noted, “This progress resulted in four major zones being declared entirely tanker-free,” signalling improved access in these areas.

Despite these advancements, the stagnation in NRW reduction suggests that technology and infrastructure upgrades alone are insufficient.

Challenges such as ageing pipelines, illegal connections, and delayed maintenance continue to hinder progress. In February 2025, the NMC issued a notice to OCW over supply failures, and in May, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari set a one-month deadline for OCW to resolve water supply issues, reflecting ongoing dissatisfaction.

Impact of water wastage on Nagpur Residents and the Vidarbha Region

Water wastage directly affects Nagpur’s residents, particularly in high-NRW zones where water pressure is low and supply is intermittent.

Areas like Ashi Nagar and Satranjipura, with NRW rates of 57.19% and 47.41% respectively, often rely on tankers, with 49 tankers operating in these zones to meet demand. Residents in these areas face daily challenges, rationing water or seeking alternative sources, especially during peak summer months.

The broader Vidarbha region, which depends on the Pench reservoir and Kanhan River for irrigation, is also impacted.

Excessive water wastage in Nagpur strains these shared resources, potentially reducing water availability for agriculture in a region prone to droughts.

In June 2025, the irrigation department increased water flow from the Pench reservoir into the Kanhan River to address city shortages, highlighting the delicate balance between urban and rural water needs.

The environmental cost of water wastage is significant. Extracting, treating, and distributing water consumes energy and resources, and losses represent a waste of these inputs. Efficient water management is critical for sustainability in Vidarbha, where water stress is a recurring concern.

Throughout 2025, Nagpur has faced persistent water supply issues. In April, parts of the city experienced disruptions due to civil works affecting water release.

In June, low river levels led to temporary supply disruptions from the Kanhan Water Treatment Plant, prompting the Water Resources Department to release additional water. Maintenance activities, such as a 12-hour shutdown of the Kanhan 900mm Feeder Main in June, further disrupted supply.

Positive developments include initiatives under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), which aim to boost water supply in North Nagpur, a historically underserved area. However, these efforts must be paired with effective management to prevent wastage. The high NRW levels indicate that much of the water intended for consumption is still lost, undermining the benefits of increased supply.

While the 24x7 water supply project has made strides in improving Nagpur’s water infrastructure and reducing water losses, significant challenges persist.

The stagnation in NRW reduction since 2022 calls for renewed efforts and innovative solutions to ensure efficient water utilisation. As Nagpur continues to grow, sustainable water management remains crucial for the city’s residents and the broader Vidarbha region, where every drop counts.