Mumbai: As Mumbai heads toward the BMC elections, acute water shortages in the western suburbs are triggering a political storm. Local MLAs have slammed the municipal administration, pointing out that while the western suburbs house a larger population, they receive significantly less water than the island city.
On Thursday, a delegation of MLAs met Additional Municipal Commissioner (projects) Abhijeet Bangar, demanding proportionate water supply and calling for full disclosure of zone-wise distribution data.
Despite Full Lakes, Western Suburbs Struggle For Water
Even though the seven lakes supplying Mumbai are full, residents in the western suburbs from Goregaon to Dahisar have been struggling with acute water shortages for the past few months. Some areas have also reported receiving contaminated water, raising further concerns.
On Thursday, MLAs Manisha Chaudhary, Sanjay Upadhyay, Yogesh Sagar, and Prakash Surve met the additional commissioner at the BMC headquarters to address the issue.
The meeting centered on current water supply planning, urgent repairs of aging pipelines, and long-term strategies to boost water sources. It underscored the widening disparity in water distribution across the city and the pressing need for the civic administration to provide equitable and safe supply to the western suburbs.
MLAs Cite Unequal Distribution, Contamination Concerns
MLA Upadhyay said, “The current water shortage, despite the lakes being full, is a result of unequal distribution. The population in the western suburbs has grown significantly in recent years, but essential services like water supply have not kept pace. It is time to reconsider this. We have also requested detailed zone-wise water distribution data. Low water pressure in some areas and contamination remain major concerns.”
MLA Chaudhary added, “Residents come to us with their water issues, but despite repeated requests to officials, nothing has been done. Several new buildings have come up in Borivali and Dahisar, yet water supply remains higher in the city proper. Slum residents receive only 45 liters of water per person, and when that falls short, they have no alternative."
Tanker Water Costs Soar; Borewell Use Suggested
“Tanker water is prohibitively expensive, costing up to Rs 5,000 for just a 1.5 km delivery. If the BMC allowed housing societies to use borewell water for non-drinking purposes, such as toilets, it could save significant amounts of drinking water. Yet, officials continue to harass societies over this,” she said. However, Bangar was not available for comment.
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A senior official who attended the meeting said, “We are aware of the issue and are actively working on it. The matter will be resolved soon.” The BMC supplies around 4,000 million litres of water to the city daily, but nearly 34% of it is lost due to leakages and theft, as per the civic data.
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