Pune: Though the State Health Laboratory has paid up Rs 50,000 of Rs 24 lakh water tax arrears, it will still have the trouble of testing water as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) might cut off water supply if the lab doesn’t pay up rest of the arrear on time.

Last month, the lab faced the problem for five days. It was forced to buy water from private water suppliers at exorbitant prices.

The lab is situated on the premises of PMC’s cantonment water purification centre. The centre supplies 20 to 25 per cent of water supply to cantonment areas like Hadapsar, Kondhwa, NIBM and Kharadi among others.

“Last month, we had a hard time without water supply. We were forced to buy water from private water suppliers at exorbitant price of Rs 1,500. However, we have paid Rs 50,000 arrears to PMC and promised to pay rest of the arrears soon. The PMC has responded positively,” Lab Deputy Director R S Waghmare says.

Explaining the cause of the delayed payment, he says, “Since we used only 8 per cent of the government grants on the water bill, arrears has mounted to Rs 24 lakh in last 12 years.”