Residents Demand 30-Year Water Security Plan Amid Redevelopment Boom, Urge NMMC To Audit Morbe Dam Supply And Leakages

As redevelopment and cluster development projects promise to reshape Navi Mumbai’s residential landscape, a fundamental question emerging among residents for existing and future residents: will the city have enough water to sustain its growing population over the next two decades?

Raising concerns over the long-term reliability of the city’s water supply, Sajag Nagrik Manch has urged the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to prepare a comprehensive water security plan, warning that approving more housing without establishing the availability of water could add to pressure on an already critical urban resource.

Forum Seeks Long-Term Water Strategy

In a representation to Mayor Sujata Suraj Patil, the civic forum has sought a 20-to-30-year strategy covering future demand, existing supply, distribution losses, alternative sources and rainwater conservation. It has also demanded a public white paper before the summer, setting out the city’s available water reserves and the projected gap between supply and demand.

“Redevelopment cannot be approved in isolation from the question of water availability,” said Sandeep Thakur, legal adviser to Sajag Nagrik Manch. “The city must first establish how much water it has, how much it is losing and how much additional demand upcoming projects will create.”

Mayor's US Study Tour Highlighted

The forum has urged the civic administration to use the mayor’s recent water resources study tour to the United States as an opportunity to introduce measurable reforms rather than limit the exercise to the exchange of information.

For residents, the issue goes beyond the volume of water supplied to the city. It concerns the reliability of household supply, the ability of infrastructure to keep pace with population growth, the management of leakages and whether new residential developments will have access to adequate water without placing additional pressure on existing neighbourhoods.

In tandem with the forum , there are growing demands for water availability to be assessed before redevelopment projects are approved, arguing that the cumulative impact of multiple projects must be considered rather than evaluating each proposal in isolation.

Public Assessment Of Future Demand Sought

"A publicly accessible assessment of future water demand would help residents understand whether the city's supply arrangements can support planned growth, the forum has argued. It would also enable the civic administration to identify infrastructure gaps before they translate into supply constraints," said resident of seawoods Pravin Mohite supporting the representation

The group has sought a white paper detailing projected consumption, available reserves and the anticipated supply-demand deficit. It has also demanded an independent audit by a recognised agency to establish how much water is drawn from Morbe Dam, how much is lost during treatment and distribution, and the extent of leakage, unauthorised connections and billing discrepancies.

The findings, it has said, should be made public, with ward-wise information on supply, losses and corrective measures wherever possible.

Transparency To Help Identify Supply Gaps

For residents , a transparent water audit is stated to help distinguish between shortages caused by inadequate supply and those arising from leakages, inefficient distribution or poor monitoring. Publishing location-wise data and action taken on identified losses would also allow citizens to track whether the civic administration is addressing problems systematically.

The forum has separately raised concerns over the use of drinking water supplied from Morbe Dam for activities such as washing vehicles, cleaning parking areas and watering lawns.

It has sought stricter regulation of such practices, including penalties for violations, alongside greater use of treated wastewater for non-potable purposes.

The civic body has also been urged to disclose the locations served by its treated wastewater network and make dual plumbing systems mandatory in large residential complexes. Such systems would allow treated wastewater to be used for flushing, gardening and other suitable purposes instead of drawing on potable supplies for every requirement.

For residents, the central demand is for the civic administration to move beyond short-term responses and establish a clear, publicly monitored roadmap for water security. "The proposed audit, disclosure of future demand, assessment of new sources and integration of water availability into redevelopment approvals are intended to make planning more transparent and ensure that the city’s growth is supported by sustainable infrastructure," said Sameena Shaikh , a resident of Nerul

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