Thousands go without tap water in Mumbai

The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) has imposed severe restrictions on water supplies to different parts of the metropolis for three days this week. On the first day of the cut, residents of south Mumbai and the western suburbs had to do without any water.

Operators who supply water in tankers to consumers in these areas also jacked up the rates, nearly doubling it to Rs1,000 for a tanker (with a capacity of 10,000 litres), as demand soared, especially from commercial users and posh housing societies. Many housing societies ordered tankers to fill up their underground and over-head tanks to ensure continued supplies. But tanker operators claim prices were hiked because of an acute shortage of water.

Mumbai needs about 4,500 million litres of water per day (mld), whereas the BMC finds it difficult to supply 3,000 mld even in the best of times. This year, thanks to abundant rainfall, the situation is better, but usually the civic body imposes cuts ranging from 10 to 30 per cent by January/February.

The BMC has launched an ambitious programme to double average water consumption to 90 litres per person per day (the national norm). Wastage of water due to leaks and pilferage is rampant and the civic body is constantly battling slum-dwellers and goons, who puncture holes on the pipes.

The city of 15 million people gets its water from six major lakes located on its outskirts. The current repair works are on the main trunk routes between Bhandup and Matunga. The civic body is replacing the water mains by installing a 3,000 mm diameter tunnel between Maroshi in Andheri to Matunga, as well as repairing some of the huge valves.

The BMC undertook the tunnelling project after getting funding from the central government under its Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission about three years ago. The Rs4.15 billion project sees the digging of a 90-feet deep shaft for the tunnel, using modern boring technology. The 26-km-long tunnel is expected to be ready by August 2012.

The Maroshi-Vakola stretch of the tunnel passes 70 metres below the Mumbai airport runways. The tunnelling work was carried out without disturbing the operations at the airport.

nithin@khaleejtimes.com