State won’t release water reserves of Vaitarna, Bhatsa

The state irrigation department has informed the BMC’s hydraulics department that it will not release the water from its reserves in the Upper Vaitarna and the Bhatsa systems. This could mean the city will run out of potable water supply in about two months with no alternative source of water supply.

As the water in BMC’s lake is sufficient for just over 60 days of usage in Mumbai, the civic body has been banking on supplying water to the city from the lake reserves belonging to the state irrigation department.

The current lake levels stand at 2.81 lakh million litres of water as opposed to 3.39 lakh million litres that was available this time last year, which amounts to 16 per cent deficit. However, additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee said, “We have enough water to supply to the city. This has not put us in an uncomfortable position in any way.”

The civic body is confident it will be able to draw water from the irrigation department’s reserves, when the need arises. It has replied to the irrigation department to that effect and asked it for use of reserves based on an agreement made in October last year. The BMC will pay the irrigation department as per usage of water.

Mr Mukherjee said, “They have to let the BMC use this water for the city, as the reserves from the Vaitarna belong to Mumbai exclusively. No other municipal corporation draws water from there.”

The Vaitarna system has water to last 64 days, while Bhatsa has water to last 53 days.