Always the doomsday water supply scenario
This refers to the report, ‘Tulsi is overflowing, but don’t rejoice yet’ (July 29). The state government should make an alternate plan for yearlong water supply to the financial capital of India – Mumbai. The prospect of scanty rains is dreadful. One alternative is desalination plants at various locations in the city and suburbs. The vacant land of the Mumbai Port Trust should be used to build lakes in the city, as it has been observed that even though there are heavy rains, the water goes waste, as there are no reservoirs to store rain water. All the lakes supplying water are located outside the city. There are not enough wells in Mumbai, so that they could be an alternate source. A desalination plant has become operational in Chennai. Mumbai also needs such desalination plants. Mumbai city needs a minimum of five reservoirs and the vacant land of Mumbai Port Trust is most suitable for this purpose.
Deendayal M Lulla, Goregaon
Rain, rain,
going in vain
Referring to the article, ‘Tulsi is overflowing, but don’t rejoice yet’ and ‘Rainwater harvesting, What’s it?’ by B N Kumar, it is indeed a pity that even after 67 years of Independence , we haven’t been able to interlink the lakes and allow water to just go waste.
I am sure this is the least the BMC could have invested in for the past so many years, instead of thinking about cloud seeding and water desalination. Even after the water crisis of 2009, the BMC has just not bothered to learn any lesson and ensure that rainwater harvesting is strictly adhered to. It still turns a blind eye to new construction and issues OCs to those buildings where rules are openly flouted.
Imagine the colossal waste of rain water, when we realise that water is going to be scarcer by the day and future wars will be fought over water. God alone knows what it will take to awaken the BMC authorities from their slumber?
Dilip Pinto, Mumbai
Follow up on
OC cancellation
What a system? As reported in the newspapers, the BMC has cancelled the OC of Lotus Business Park, Andheri (W). Should it therefore not follow that all the present occupants must vacate, lest the cancellation of the OC becomes meaningless and infructuous? And then, if within 60 days nothing is rectified and god forbid, if once again there is a fire, what will be the new status? Cancellation of the OC should be productive i.e. occupants vacated immediately. And what about those authorities responsible for granting the OC in the first place? ‘Sab chalta hai.’ Will it not be an unforeseen opportunity for another ‘corruption’? The way OC is being cancelled, it is nothing but a piece of paper to be framed and hung on the wall or filed away.
Kedarnath Rajah Aiyar, Mumbai
Unequal water cut?
BMC has enforced a 20 per cent water cut in Mumbai because of insufficient rain this year. But I have heard from reliable sources that there is no water cut at all in Bandra, Pali Hill, Walkeshwar, Cuffe Parade, Napean Sea Road and other ‘posh’ areas from south Mumbai, where the ‘elite’ class of people live. Why such a discriminatory policy for people living in the same city?
Hansraj Bhat, Borivali.
Water waste
Even as the BMC is terrorising people with water cuts, here is what I heard on the bus I regularly travel on. Two women were discussing that whatever the BMC said, their ‘dharam’ did not permit them to use stale water.
So, a matka filled to the brim with water had to be thrown away to respect their ‘dharam’. Shocked, I interrupted their conversation and loudly said it was a shame people had misguided thoughts in the name of religion. The rest of the crowd in the bus started censuring the two, who literally jumped out of the bus at Pydhonie to escape all the bitter comments.
It’s high time religious heads use their ‘heads!’
We at Dadar suffered immensely in 2009 due to water cuts and had to carry 30 water-filled buckets from the ground floor to the second floor for our daily use.
R S Mani, Dadar (W).
Pathetic state of
Andheri skywalk
I would like to bring to your kind notice the following deficiencies with respect to the skywalk connecting the northern end of Andheri(E) Rly Station and the Mumbai Metro Station in Andheri Andheri(E). Through your esteemed columns, I seek redressal of grievance from the MMRDA, which has constructed the skywalk.
Within one month of operation of the Metro, at many places, the floor tiles on the skywalk connecting the metro station to the northern-end of the Andheri East foot overbridge have become loose .
Though tubelights are installed, none of them are working, and it is extremely hard for senior citizens like me to walk in pitch darkness. Besides this gives pickpockets a chance to strike, as the bridge is always crowded.
There is a gap in the roof between the foot overbridge and the skywalk and also at the metro rail entrance, so that when it rains heavily, people stop to open umbrellas, thereby causing overcrowding.
The entire stretch of the concrete road below the Metro Rail corridor is in very poor condition, with uneven surface in just a few years after construction. If the MMRDA has some bank guarantees etc of the contractors, these need to be invoked and the entire stretch of road needs to be relaid.
Shamprasad, Assistant Vice President, Pegasus Assets Reconstruction Pvt Ltd,
Nariman Point.
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