Mumbai Water Cut: Repair Work Pushes City into Crisis, Some Areas Will See Above 15% Decrease

Water supply to certain areas of Mumbai will be disrupted as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is carrying out work to repair and plug the leakage of a tunnel which carries water to the Bhandup treatment plant. The water tunnel was shut on March 31 and a water cut was announced across Mumbai for 30 days.

Now, BMC has said that the water cut in some areas could be above the 15 per cent threshold announced earlier. This is due to geographical limitations as some areas are located at an elevation and at the fag end of the water distribution network. Plus the fact that water is being supplied through alternative channels to the Bhandup complex will also affect the water cut.

Therefore, Mumbai’s civic body has advised Mumbaikars to store water and use it sparingly. It is worth noting that about 75 per cent of water supplied to the Bhandup complex is through a 15km tunnel of 5,500mm diameter.

This water tunnel was damaged during the digging of a borewell at Thane. To repair the crucial tunnel, BMC is now spending around Rs 13 crore. The cost of repairs will be recovered from the builder whose workers damaged the tunnel in Wagle Estate. Reports suggest that while digging a bore well at the site, some workers had punctured a water tunnel 70 metres below ground last year.

Mumbaikars are reeling under a severe water crisis due to the repair work of the pipes at Bhandup Treatment. Reportedly, Mumbai’s western suburbs of Jogeshwari and Goregaon have gone without water for a few days at a stretch. Meanwhile, residents of areas like Ghatkopar, Khar, Kandivali and Chandivali are relying on additional supply from water tankers. Residents are shelling out around Rs 6000 for a 20,000-liter water tanker.

India’s financial capital is quite dependent on tankers for its water supply. While Mumbai requires 4,200 million litres of water per day, BMC only supplies 3,850 million litres daily. This deficit is tackled by employing tankers that draw water from borewells.

BMC earlier too announced a similar water cut in several wards in the city in March. That cut was also due to pipeline repair work.

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