Emergency call: Mumbai is drying up,and fast

With the supply down by about 3 lakh million litres of water per day,options from desalinating the Arabian sea water to recycling sewage water,digging wells/borewells,cutting supply for one day per week and the drastic move of not providing water connection to new high-rises are being considered.

Civic officials are also grappling with the fear of an impending public backlash — the protests for increasing the supply of water have already seen one death,vandalisation of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) offices,hunger strikes,in addition with morchas practically everyday.

While the city’s demand for water is 4,200 million litres per day (mld),only 3,450 mld can be supplied. The present availability of water is around 7 lakh million litres as against 10 lakh million litres last year. Even with the water cut in place since June (imposed just before the monsoon as the rains were delayed),the situation hasn’t improved due to poor rainfall,which failed to fill the lakes,leaving many areas without adequate water.

The shortage has already left people ordering water tankers and buying water,even mineral water for drinking purposes,to save the remaining for cooking,washing and other non-potable purposes.

“The lake levels are depleting daily and the water from the six lakes (of Mumbai) is enough for not more than 200 days,” said an official of the Water Department.

The issue has also gained political colour after Nitesh Rane,the son of Congress Revenue Minister Narayan Rane,led a protest in which a young man died following lathicharge by police. He is not the only one leading protests. Corporators and almost all political parties are taking out morchas on the issue.

Mumbai’s water network,set up during the British period,has 108 zones through its island city,eastern and western suburbs. The BMC believes the solution lies in re-aligning of the existing network in seven zones and cutting off the supply of each zone for a day in a week for equitable distribution. “The cuts cannot be increased from 15 per cent as those at hilly and far-off places will suffer the most. Moreover,political parties will not allow hiking the cuts. Realigning of the zones and rationing of water are the only option,” an official said.

Officials also say that the biggest hurdle in checking water shortage is the loss through leakages,pilferages and illegal connections — around 700 mld of water is unaccounted for. It will take another few years to replace the old pipelines.

While the city has faced water shortages earlier,in 1996,1992,1972 and 1966,it never reached such desperate situation because of rainfall that eventually filled up the lakes: Bhatsa,Tansa,Modak Sagar,Upper Vaitarna,Tulsi and Vihar.

To cope with the situation,the BMC imposed a further 15 per cent water cut in October,in addition to allotting Rs 100 crore for digging up of borewells and cleaning of existing wells. More than 8.7 lakh litres of water has been added after the cleaning and desilting of more than 100 underground wells.

To bridge the demand-supply gap,the Mumbai administration has also undertaken steps like curbing per capita supply to 90 litres per person per day,instead of the national norm of 150. Also all the new constructions whose demand is more than 2 lakh litres per day will not be given water connection until the Middle Vaitarna project is completed. The project,costing Rs 1,600 crore,is expected to be complete by 2012,adding 450 mld to the 3,450 mld water being supplied now.

The government has also announced plans to desalinate sea water,a feasibility study on which will be conducted soon. The BMC is making it mandatory for all new constructions to recycle sewage water and use it for non-potable purposes. Plans are also on to rope in celebrities to spread awareness about saving water.