After being subjected to a shortfall of 25 MLD (Million Litres per Day) water by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) is now facing a double whammy after it came to light that the other service provider- Shahad Temghar (STEM) water authority is also providing 10 MLD lesser water as against the allotted quota.
Consequently, residents are bearing the brunt of a severe water shortage in the twin-city.
Joint meeting sees uproar over the issue
A joint meeting comprising officials from the MIDC, STEM, MBMC and representatives from local political parties witnessed an uproar on the subject on Wednesday. As against the requirement of over 225 MLD, the twin-city has an allotted supply of 221 MLD provided jointly by the MIDC (135 MLD) and STEM (86MLD).
However, the actual supply which continued to hover below 200 MLD due to a shortfall of around 25 MLD supplied by the MIDC, has come down to 190 MLD owing to the deficit of 10 MLD by STEM.
City suffers loss of water due to leakage, theft
Apart from the deficit, the twin-city is also losing a huge quantity of potable water in transit on a daily basis owing to leakages, unaccounted supply and theft. Although officials from STEM claimed that their meter at Anjur in Bhiwandi clocked an exact supply of 86 MLD, the readings of the metering facility at MBMC entry point in Chena village shows an average of 72 to 74 MLD. After a heated argument by former municipal corporators and warnings of launching an agitation, the STEM and MIDC officials assured of providing the entire allotted quota.
With no self-sustained resources of water supply like other civic bodies, Mira-Bhayandar also faces a demographic dilemma as it falls in the tail-end of the district, which further aggravates the water woes, owing to low pressure due to the frequent shutdowns.
