The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has stated that the city`s water supply will remain unaffected despite the decrease in water levels in the reservoirs, amid rising temperatures and increased evaporation. The civic body has assured residents that adequate water resources have been secured for Mumbai, including additional supplies from contingency reserves.
In a statement released on Monday, BMC clarified that the Maharashtra government has made provisions for additional water from the Contingency Reserves of Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna dams to ensure that the city continues to receive sufficient water until July 31.
Earlier in the day, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani convened a high-level meeting at the civic headquarters to review Mumbai`s water situation.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, Water Engineer Purushottam Malwade, and other senior officials were present in the meeting.
The civic corporation’s assurance to residents comes amid concerns over the impact of rising temperatures and evaporation on the water stock in Mumbai`s main reservoirs.
The BMC further emphasised that the water supply to residents remains unaffected and there are no immediate plans for water cuts. BMC also said that it is meticulously planning to ensure that the city`s water supply remains unaffected in the coming months.
Mumbai’s reservoirs currently hold 22.66 per cent of their total capacity, as per the latest data available on Monday. In coordination with the India Meteorological Department, the Mumbai civic corporation said it will continue to monitor the situation and make further decisions based on rainfall forecasts.
While the BMC administration said that it will monitor the water stock, it has also appealed to Mumbaikars to continue using water judiciously and cooperate with the administration to ensure the city`s water resources are used efficiently, especially as the monsoon season approaches.
PCMC civic body to cut water supply to 184 societies over violations
As mercury levels continue to soar above 40 degrees Celsius and amid a heatwave alert, Pune and its twin city Pimpri-Chinchwad are grappling with a growing water crisis. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) warned the housing societies about the activation of their Sewage Treatment Plants (STPS).
In a serious breach of environmental compliance, it has come to light that 184 large housing societies in Pimpri-Chinchwad failed to operate their mandated STPs even after receiving up to three notices from PCMC. STPs have been mandated in societies with over 100 flats or consuming over 20,000 litres of water daily, under the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR).
PCMC Chief Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni said, “Despite repeated appeals and formal notices, these societies have kept their STPs non-operational. The civic body will now cut off water supply to the defaulters as a last resort.” As per the civic records, of the total 456 major societies in the city, only 264 have functional STPs. The remaining 184 have either cited cost constraints or other excuses to avoid operating their treatment systems. Eight societies even denied entry to the civic inspection teams.
This negligence has forced many societies to rely on private water tankers, skyrocketing their monthly water expenses to between Rs 1.25 and Rs 1.5 lakh. Sanjivan Sangle, chairman of Chikhali Moshi Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Society Federation, said, “The civic body should first take action against the builders who provided very poor quality STPs to housing societies. The building permission department is equally to blame for granting the completion certificate without verifying whether the STPs functioned properly or not.”
Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced weekly water cuts starting recently in specific areas supplied by the Vadgaon Water Purification Plant. The cut, implemented on a rotational basis, will affect localities such as Balajinagar, Katraj, Kondhwa, Suncity, Dhayari, Dhankawadi, and Ambegaon. A PMC spokesperson said, “Due to increased consumption and rising temperatures, the water supply has surged by nearly 25 per cent. However, the supply from Vadgaon has been inconsistent, forcing us to ration water.”
Adding to the region’s water woes, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) Commissioner Dr Yogesh Mhase admitted that there is a shortfall of 2 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water in PMRDA’s jurisdiction. The officials of PMRDA clarified that water supply in the rural zones within 5 km of urban boundaries is the responsibility of local municipal bodies and the Jal Jeevan Mission.
