Civic body to liquidate water crisis

Perennial water scarcity has been one of the worst kept secrets of many of Mumbai’s toniest areas. Parts of South Mumbai, including Cuffe Parade and Nariman Point, depend on tankers for their daily quota. Likewise, several of the city’s expensive localities in the western suburbs make do with just a couple of hours of municipal water supply a day.

This year’s poor monsoon has only made matters worse, with the lakes supplying the city with water failing to reach the desired storage levels. Faced with the unprecedented prospect of having water cuts for the whole year, the BMC is now re-examining its water management systems.

The department plans to promote the use of groundwater, surface water, waste water, and sea water for non-potable purposes. According to the civic body’s hydraulic department, the steps are aimed at ensuring that there is no undue burden on the reservoirs supplying freshwater to the city.

The alternative sources of supply will be developed in the next five years. For example, the hydraulic department has decided to replenish groundwater reserves in a regulated manner. It will employ and promote the setting up of natural and artificial mechanisms near existing tubewells, borewells, and infiltration pits.

“The idea is to capture and recycle as much water as possible in the next monsoon,” a senior official said, adding that rainwater harvesting has already been made mandatory for all new buildings.

Also, recycling of wastewater (used for bathing, washing, and flushing toilets) will also be made compulsory in new buildings from next year. The BMC hopes these measures would reduce per capita demand by at least 20%. 

 The BMC has also decided to explore the possibility of using seawater. Expressions of interest for desalination plants are likely to be invited soon, additional municipal commissioner Anil Diggikar said.

There are 5,387 public wells in city, of which 3,207 are open wells and 2,180 are concrete wells. A recent survey revealed that 3,000 of these are usable.

Though the municipal corporation plans to sink some new wells, it wants to avoid over-exploitation of groundwater as this could cause damage to urban infrastructure. The BMC may employ the services of the Pune-based Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency to identify favourable areas where new borewells could be sunk.

The challenge with all these alternative sources, however, would be to integrate them with the existing system, say experts.

Meanwhile, the BMC will concentrate its efforts on plugging leaks and replacing burst-prone mains to avoid wastage. But there is unlikely to be relief on this score soon.