Tanker mafia not leaving even hand pump water for tribals

Exploits groundwater in Kashimira

Groundwater is a scarce and shared natural resource, but owing to the acute water crisis in Mira Bhayandar, a few individuals are milking on to the opportunity by drilling bore wells to suck-out water and supply it to private tankers, consequently plummeting groundwater level in the surrounding areas.

The over-exploitation of groundwater resources by the notorious tanker mafia has not only left hand pumps dry but has also become a cause of environmental hazards in the region. The worst affected are tribal dominated hamlets in Kashimira. As per official statistics, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has installed nearly 97 hand pumps at various locations across the twin-city. While few of the hand pumps lie dysfunctional, scores of them still work but barely give a bucket of water after an hour of pumping, this indicating towards an alarming dip in the groundwater levels. However, it has been alleged that the rapid depletion of groundwater is not a natural phenomenon but a manmade disaster. Admitting the stark realities, officials in the water supply department expressed their helplessness on the issue. “Apart from regularly carrying out maintenance of the hand pumps, we have made alternate provisions by installing 10,000 liter storage tanks at 7 tribal hamlets in the region,” said a MBMC officer requesting anonymity. Though there were established norms to prevent the over-exploitation of groundwater, authorities were yet to make any efforts to address the issue.