Bhiwandi: Days of relentless monsoon rain have caused Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation's (BNCMC) Varala Lake to overflow, sending millions of litres of freshwater spilling out even as the city continues to grapple with water scarcity following the suspension of drinking water supply from the reservoir. The development has triggered criticism from residents who allege that inadequate planning and poor water management have resulted in the loss of a valuable natural resource.
Lake's Capacity and Supply Details
The Varala Lake spread across several hundred acres in the Kamatghar area, is the civic body's only lake and had been supplying around 5 million litres per day (MLD) of drinking water to the city after treatment. However, continuous heavy rainfall over the past three days has filled the reservoir to capacity, causing it to overflow.
Residents questioned why the excess rainwater could not be conserved when the city has repeatedly faced water shortages. They argued that with proper long-term planning, including increasing the lake's storage capacity and strengthening overflow management, a substantial quantity of freshwater could have been preserved instead of flowing out of the reservoir.
Residents Question Conservation Failure
According to local residents, BMC has been forced to depend on tanker water supply after the lake's drinking water supply was suspended earlier this year, making the sight of freshwater flowing away even more concerning. They claimed that if the overflow channel had been scientifically managed and the lake deepened before the monsoon, millions of litres of water could have been stored for future use.
Meanwhile, BMC officials clarified that the overflow is a natural consequence of the reservoir reaching its full capacity and attributed the suspension of water supply to environmental concerns rather than water availability.
Officials Cite Natural Overflow
Executive Engineer of the BMC Water Supply Department, Sandeep Patanwar, said the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed the civic body to stop drawing drinking water from Varala Lake on March 27 after pollution was detected in the reservoir. The restriction remains in force, forcing the civic administration to rely on water tankers to meet the city's drinking water requirements.
Patanwar said two sources of contaminated inflow into the lake had since been identified and permanently diverted into the underground drainage network, effectively preventing further pollution from entering the reservoir.
He added that the latest water quality test report is expected shortly and expressed confidence that the pollution issue has now been resolved. Once the report confirms compliance with the required standards and the necessary approvals are received, the civic body is expected to resume treated water supply from Varala Lake to the city.
The overflowing reservoir has nevertheless reignited debate over Bhiwandi's long-term water resource management. Residents believe that while the pollution issue may soon be resolved, the civic administration must also focus on improving rainwater conservation and expanding the lake's storage capacity to minimise water wastage during the monsoon and strengthen the city's water security in the years ahead.
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