Mumbaikars likely to face water cut till June 2019

MUMBAI: Water cuts in the city to continue till June 2019 according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) this measure has been taken to store water till the summer. Residents in many pockets of Mumbai have been impacted due to the water cuts, mainly the old areas and slums. The estimated rainfall for Mumbai this year, was covered by July. However, the high temperatures averaging to 37 degrees Celsius and no rainfall in September decreased the capacity of the seven lakes, which are the main source of drinking water. Officially the water cut is ten per cent, however, the corporators from opposition parties have accused the BMC of cutting more than 30 per cent in the slums. The current water stock is 69 percent of water, while the water stored in the same period last year, was 86 per cent. The level of water recorded on Monday was 9.9 lakh million litres in all the seven lakes that is (69.05 percent). The hydraulic department has said, the current water stocked will be enough for only 213 days, which is roughly till next June. The onset of the monsoon BMC from October to 335 days as of June-end calculation of water needs. According to an officer from the hydraulic department, in non-slums, a family of five persons requires 135 litres for domestic purposes. While, a family in a slum areas requires 45 litres for the same purpose. BMC on an average supplies 3,800 million of litres per day to the city. The BMC Opposition leader, Ravi Raja in the standing meeting accused the officials supplying 30 to 40 per cent less water to slum dwellers in areas like Govandi, Kandivali, Masjid bunder and many more. "People have been coming to us with the complaints of water scarcity in these areas. Slum dwellers told us they receive water for only 15 to 20 minutes on a daily basis. In that case, BMC should also check for any leakage in their water connections," said Raees Shaikh, group leader of Samajwadi Party. - Staff Reporter