Friday, Apr 19, 2024 | Last Update : 04:46 AM IST
24x7 project to get derailed?
Scanty rainfall, insufficient lake levels thwart BMC’s plan.
Mumbai: Scanty rainfall and insufficient lake levels are likely to throw a spanner in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s plans to supply 24x7 water supply to the city. The inadequate water stocks will prove difficult to ensure increased water supply especially during summer time, said civic officials.
As a part of its 24x7 water supply project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has started trials in H-West ward (Bandra and Santacruz) and T ward (Mulund). While the project is called 24x7, it is actually aimed at supply for longer hours, but not round-the-clock supply.
On an average, each household in Mumbai gets about three to four hours of water daily. Under the 24x7 project, the ward areas, where the pilot project is being implemented, are getting up to eight hours of water supply depending upon the topography.
Based on the success of the pilot project, it was likely to be implemented in the other parts of the city as well. However, little rainfall in the later stage of the monsoon has resulted in the Brihanmumbai Muni-cipal Corporation facing a shortfall of more than one lakh million litres in its stocks. At the end of the monsoon (September 30), the water stock in seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai was 13.23 million litres. It was way below as compared to the stocks of 14.47 million litres, which are needed to tide over the entire summer season.
“After heavy rainfall in first two months, we were expecting at least moderate rains in the later stage of monsoon. But it did not happen. So we are facing shortfall. In addition to this, the lake levels will go down further during summer. Due to this, it will be difficult to implement the 24x7 project during summer time. This might also affect the further implementation of the project,” a senior civic official said on the condition of anonymity.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation presently supply 3,800 million litres of water daily to the city.
In 2012 too, the civic body had tried to implement 24x7 water supply in eastern suburbs from Mulund to Ghatkopar. But it had to be halted after couple of years again due to inadequate rainfall.
