10% water cut likely from this week in Mumbai

With monsoon playing truant, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) may finally go ahead with a 10% cut this week onwards. The civic body started supplying reserve water from its Upper Vaitarna dam to the city from Tuesday.

Sources said a proposal in this regard has been moved by the hydraulic engineering department to civic chief Sitaram Kunte.
Prabhu confirmed the developments.  “Yes, the proposal has been moved even as water is being supplied from the dam,” he said.

Speaking about the execution of the water cut, the mayor said that even if the move is made effective from Wednesday, Mumbai will receive an extra day’s water.

“It will be unfortunate. But we will have to take a decision in this connection. A cut in water supply is imminent if rainfall continues to be disappointing in catchment areas,” he said, before reiterating that if sufficient showers are received in the catchment areas until July 15, the water cut won’t be considered by the BMC.

As on June 25, about 71,320 MLD is available across the six lakes—Modak Sagar, Tansa, Vihar, Tulsi, Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa— from where water is supplied to the city, while the rainfall received so far has been 1063.66 mm since June 15 this year. The stock is nearly 50% of the 1,49,681 MLD of water available last year around the same time. In 2009 and 2010, 1,74,512 MLD and 54,940 MLD of water respectively was available across the reservoirs.

While the mayor confirmed the development, civic chief Sitaram Kunte preferred to trade cautiously. “We are discussing the issue. The decision is yet to be made,” Kunte said.

However, sources claimed the civic administration is not coming clear over the issue as announcement of a water cut may lead to the tanker mafia exploiting the situation.

According to experts, whether the situation improves by July 15 or not, residents will have to embrace water conservation practices quickly.