BMC to activate defunct water hydrants

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is repairing all British era water hydrants which are defunct in the city from many years, Sanjay Mukherjee, the Additional Municipal Commissioner (AMC), has revealed.

Hydrants are installed by the Britishers at various places and usually used by the fire department to refill their water tanks.

Rajul Patel, Shiv Sena corporator in the Standing Committee, on Tuesday demanded that the hydrants be repaired and installed on non-busy roads. Also, she drew attention of the BMC administration to how the fire department officials have to struggle and travel from one location to another to refill their water tanks. Many a times they get stuck in the traffic eventually delaying their fire-fighting operation.

Patel added that if the hydrants were made functional the fire brigade could get water from the nearest area to a mishap. At present in Mumbai there are around 1,700 water hydrants. Replying to the concern raised by the corporator, AMC Mukherjee stated due to non-availability of water in the hydrants BMC had closed them, but now water from sewerage treatment plant would be made available.

He further remarked, “On an experimental basis, the Colaba sewage treatment plant water will be connected to the existing water hydrants in the city, so as to avail 24x7 water in them.”