Mumbai to face water cuts from Thursday

Mumbai will endure between 10-15 per cent water supply cuts from Thursday till the next monsoon, the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced here on Wednesday.

The water supply for domestic users will be cut by 10 per cent, while for all other non-domestic uses, it will be slashed by 15 per cent, in view of a grim water storage situation confronting the country's commercial capital.

Portending ill news in an election year, the latest restrictions have been necessitated due to around 75 per cent capacity available in all the seven dams which supply water to the city with a population of around 17 million.

According to a civic official, the cuts are being implemented well in advance "to conserve water, supply evenly for the rest of the year and ensure there is no shortage during the hot summer and till the next rainy season".

Presently, the BMC has stocks of around 11,11,385 million litres of water which will help scrape through barely 300 days.

Mumbai quenches its thirst from lakes and rivers like Tulsi, Vihar, Upper Vaitarna, Tansa, Bhatsa, Modak Sagar and Middle Vaitarna, besides Powai Lake, which primarily caters for industrial purposes.

After insufficient rains in monsoon 2018, the water levels in the lakes have plummeted sharply compared to 2017.

In 2014, the BMC had imposed the highest-ever 25 per cent water cut, and in 2015-2016, it was 20 percent, but implemented only during summer months of March-June.

This year (2018), the water cuts shall be implemented during both winter and summer, and in case monsoon 2019 is delayed, the cuts will be progressively increased from June, said the official requesting anonymity.

Besides the water cuts, the BMC will not provide any new water connections this year, which could affect new buildings or upcoming infrastructure projects till the situation normalises in 2019.

--IANS

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