If the sweltering March heat was not agonizing enough, residents of the twin-city are not spared the nuisance water cuts which is bound to aggravate during the peak summer season even as the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) remains helpless in solving the water woes.
As pipes run dry, there is no respite for citizens in most of the areas as the frequency of water supply continues to be limited at once in 60 to 65 hours. As against the requirement of over 225 MLD, the twin-city has an allotted supply of 211 MLD provided jointly by the MIDC (125 MLD) and STEM (86 MLD) water supply authority.
However, the actual supply hovers below 180 MLD owing to a 24 hour supply suspension every fortnight which has been imposed in the Thane district. Moreover, the quantum of water supplied by MIDC is said to be restricted to not more than 95 MLD, this in addition to leakages, unaccounted supply, and theft which further aggravates the water woes of the region.
Requests and appeals by social organizations and residential housing societies to conduct an audit to detect and weed out massive anomalies and unjustified imbalances in the water distribution system has gone to the deaf ears of the civic authorities. A meeting to explore options aimed at augmenting water supply was held under the aegis of industries minister-Subhash Desai, in which MIDC officials had treaded cautiously by refraining from making any commitments.
It was contended that augmentation was hampered due to some technical obstacles. This clearly indicated that an immediate remedy to the current crisis was still a distant dream. With no self-sustained resources of water supply like other civic bodies, the twin-city also faces a demographical dilemma as it falls in the tail-end of the district, which extends the 24-hour water cut to an additional six to eight hours owing to low pressure.
