The water consumption in the city has increased by 20% owing to the unusual heat wave experienced in the first week of April. The shooting up of the demand of water has affected the already overburdened water distribution system being maintained by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
With temperatures hovering around 40 degree Celsius, Mumbaikars have been consuming more water and taking baths more often to cool themselves down.
While Mumbai gets 3,350 million litres daily (mld) water supply, the demand is projected to be close to 4100 mld. The sudden increase in water consumption over the last few days has taken demand closer to the 5000 mld mark. The widening gap between supply and demand has led to a shortage being felt in some parts of the city.
Additional municipal commissioner Anil Diggikar attributed the shortage to the increase in consumption and water demand. “There is no shortage of supply from the reservoirs,” he said, adding that the city still has water reserves of over 5.5 lakh mld. He said this quantity will be sufficient to meet city’s requirements for the next five months.
The BMC has set up teams to review the situation in the different areas following complaints from corporators regarding water shortage in their wards.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena wants the BMC to stop supplying drinking water to motor garages and public urinals, and supplying them instead water from wells. Party’s senior corporator Manmohan Chonkar recently moved a notice of motion in BMC’s general body demanding that the municipal water supply to these units be replaced by water from tube and bore wells.
“Cars can be washed and urinals cleaned using well water. You do not need drinking water for this purpose,” he said. Chonkar has also suggested recycling water used for non drinking purposes be made mandatory for residential and commercial units.
