DNA Edit: Thirsty Mumbai – A parched state and its capital need to learn from mistakes

Mumbaikars should brace themselves for water cuts because of an inadequate monsoon. This year the seven lakes and dams that supply water to the state capital haven’t been full to the brim, prompting authorities to restrict supply to households. A 10 per cent cut, decrease in pressure and reducing the duration of supply are desperate measures to ration the use of a critical component that is deemed synonymous with life. The city has to survive till the next monsoon in the hope that there will be abundant water in 2020. Simply put, the authorities will continue to depend on the vagaries of nature and not take initiatives to stave off a crisis that keeps resurfacing. 

Mumbai’s population has more than doubled since 1991, with the city itself becoming home to 12,478,447 people. Given the tremendous human burden on the finite resources of a metropolis, with every bout of water shortage due to impoverished monsoons, there is rampant exploitation of groundwater by tanker owners. With the government looking the other way, some 5000 tankers do brisk business in the city during summer by drawing from 300 private wells and 50 others belonging to various organisations. Mumbai’s water table has shrunk so drastically that the National Green Tribunal had admitted a Rs 222 crore damage plea over the plundering of two wells in south Mumbai for 11 years. 

Moreover, housing societies are yet to wake up to the importance of water conservation. The civic authorities, too, have failed to inspire the citizens. In 2009, when Maharashtra faced one of the most devastating droughts, it had prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to start vigorous campaigns on rainwater harvesting. Cut to 2018, and success stories are merely a handful. During a good monsoon, Mumbai receives well over 2,457 mm of rains but much of the water is allowed to go down the drain. However, if one goes by the rules, there is a glimmer of hope for Mumbai. 

According to the draft Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Rules, 2018, urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions shall approve the building plan of an area of 100 square metres or more if appropriate rainwater harvesting structures are provided in it. Make no mistake that the whole of Maharashtra is staring at a drought. The state government has declared a drought-like situation in 180 tehsils. A report prepared by the water supply and sanitation department last month pointed out that nearly 11,500 of the state’s 40,000 villages face water scarcity due to less than normal rainfall and the resultant wringing of groundwater resources. Though CM Devendra Fadnavis has defended his government’s flagship water conservation programme, the situation on the ground tells a different story. Ironically, Jalyukt Shivar is at the centre of a political mud-slinging match even as the parched state looks at ways of grappling with the crisis.