Dombivli, October 23, 2026: Facing mounting public anger over the recurring water crisis in the residential areas of the Dombivli Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) belt, the MIDC administration has assured citizens’ representatives that it will propose changes to the existing 36-hour water supply shutdown and initiate coordinated action against water theft, unauthorised connections and pipeline leakages.
The assurances came during a meeting held on Thursday, October 22, a day after residents staged a protest march at the MIDC office to highlight the hardships caused by prolonged water cuts. The protest and subsequent media coverage prompted the administration to invite representatives for discussions, raising hopes of relief for affected households.
The meeting, which lasted around 75 minutes, primarily focused on the demand to discontinue the continuous 36-hour shutdown. Residents’ representatives proposed splitting the shutdown into two separate periods of 24 hours and 12 hours on different days of the week to reduce the inconvenience caused by prolonged disruption.
MIDC Executive Engineer Shrikant Raut assured the delegation that a proposal would be forwarded to the Water Resources Department and senior authorities. He also said he would make efforts to pursue the demand. However, a final decision on revising the shutdown schedule is still awaited.
Joint Action Against Water Theft and Leakages
Water theft, unauthorised connections and pipeline leakages were among the other major concerns raised during the meeting. The MIDC administration said it would consider forming a joint team comprising officials from MIDC, the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and the police to take action against such irregularities.
The possibility of filtering water from Milapnagar lake and supplying it to residential buildings for non-potable purposes was also discussed as a potential supplementary source.
Borewell Permissions Under Consideration
Raut also indicated that the administration would consider allowing borewells on residential plots, subject to prescribed rules and conditions. Borewell drilling had not been permitted in the MIDC area, making the proposal a potentially significant development for residents struggling with water shortages.
Meanwhile, the water reservoir being constructed near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk at Gharda Circle is expected to increase storage capacity and help improve water availability during periods of high demand.
Residents Await Concrete Action
Former corporator Bhalchandra Mhatre, along with Vivek Deshpande, Raju Nalawade, Sanjay Chavan, Hari Nair, Ashwini Bhandari and Dr Sunetra Jawkar, represented the residents at the meeting.
Representing MIDC were Executive Engineer Shrikant Raut, Deputy Engineer Audumbar Alat, and Assistant Engineers Ganesh Jangle and Nilesh Gopale.
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While the meeting has opened the door for dialogue, residents are now waiting to see whether the assurances translate into concrete measures. With the final decision on the shutdown schedule still pending, the effectiveness of the proposed steps will determine whether households in Dombivli’s MIDC residential belt receive meaningful relief from the persistent water crisis.
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