Mumbai: The BMC started the first phase of repairing the punctured water tunnel in Thane on March 31. However, it might take more than a month for normal water supply to be restored in the affected areas which are facing over 15% water cut.
Annoyed former corporators and activists are now blaming the civic administration for poor planning and negligence. They have also demanded legal action against the developer responsible for the current situation. They said he didn’t have the permission to dig a borewell, which led to severe damage to the water main.
Ravi Raja demands action against developer
Ravi Raja, former Opposition leader of the BMC and senior Congress leader, said, “This incident clearly shows the negligence of duty on part of civic officials. They should have ensured security of the 15km tunnel and pipelines supplying water to the city. The citizens are suffering a lot, so we demand legal action against the developer,” said Vinod Mishra, ex-corporator of the BJP. He demanded that the BMC should arrange water tankers for citizens facing shortage.
Sitaram Shelar, the founder of Pani Haqq Samiti said, “The BMC’s water department has a leak detection and prevention cell, which must ensure that the water network does not get damaged due to any upcoming construction. Also, they have to detect leaks in the pipeline and undertake repair work in advance to avoid major leakage in future. However, the department is hardly active. Due to civic failure, Mumbaikars are currently suffering.”
Meanwhile, the BMC will have to pump out 200 million litres of water from the tunnel. Civic engineers and the contractor can start the repair work only when the tunnel is completely dry. This might further delay the work, said civic sources.
