Mumbai to share water with neighbour despite shortage

Mumbai’s water woes are likely to escalate further as the state government will be asking the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide an additional 1.5 million litres daily (mld) of water to the neighbouring Mira-Bhayander city.

With rains playing truant last monsoon, the city has already been facing a major water crisis. The BMC has imposed 20 per cent water cuts on residential users and 50 per cent on commercial and industrial consumers like starred hotels, malls, swimming pools, bottled plants, aerated drinks factories, and the racecourse. The additional supply of 1.5 mld is likely to put a strain on the city’s already short water supply.

The demand of supplying additional water to Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) was made by Peoples Republican Party (PRP) legislator Jogendra Kawade. He said, “The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) had built a housing complex at Mira Road, for which they had requested the BMC to provide 5 mld water. Accordingly, the BMC agreed to supply 1.5 mld water to the MBMC. However, the supply has not been started yet and the MBMC has been providing water to the complex on its own.”

Replying to Mr Kawade, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Though the BMC had initially promised to supply 1.5 mld water to MBMC, it later expressed its inability to provide water owing to the acute water shortage this year. But, we will ask the BMC if it is possible to supply 1.5 mld water to Mira-Bhayander, even along with prevalent water cuts.”

The CM also said the state government is contemplating on setting up desalination plants for the city. “We have appointed a study group to suggest measures for setting up desalination plants. The cost of desalination plants is very high. However, new technologies have cropped up that are cheap and sustainable. We are trying to explore these technologies to set up desalination plants,” he added.

Mumbai gets a daily supply of 3,750 million litres (ml) of water. However, due to 20 per cent water cuts, it is presently getting only 3,250 mld water.