This decision is expected to save up to 15 per cent of stored water from the city’s lakes.
Mumbai : To avoid severe water crisis, BMC will resort to 20 per cent water cut in the city from Thursday, due to the depletion in monsoon this season. This decision is expected to save up to 15 per cent of stored water from the city’s lakes.
It was decided on Wednesday that residential, commercial and industrial areas will face 20 per cent water cut where as malls, multiplexes, swimming pools, restaurants and hotels (that have water supply pipelines more than 100 mm in diameter) will face 50 per cent water cut.
Sanjay Mukherjee, Additional Municipal Commissioner said, “We have decided to cut water supply by 20 per cent assuming that it will rain in September. Mumbai usually receives heavy rainfall during the Ganesh Utsav.”
However, he informed that if it does not rain in September, BMC will resort to stricter measures which may include providing water to the city only on alternate days. The water levels in lakes have fallen by 28 per cent as compared to the same time last year. Moreover, there is a shortage of 35 per cent water required throughout the year.
The city has a supply of 3750 million litres daily, when it instead requires 4720 million litres of water every day. The water currently available in Mumbai’s lakes needs to suffice the city until next July. BMC will also impose 20 per cent cut in the water supplied to Thane and Bhiwandi municipal corporations. When asked about the long term measures that the BMC will resort to, Mukherjee said, “We will come down heavily if incidences of water theft are discovered. We will also begin to seal all leakages in water pipelines.”
The BMC will conduct daily follow ups of available water levels and amount of rainfall received, to decide if water cuts need to be increased further. Similarly, the city had faced 20 per cent water cut in July last year and 30 per cent water cut in July 2009. However, the BMC does not have a fixed policy for water cuts yet.
