On Monday, a portion of the pipeline burst near Filterpada, at the Powai-end of Aarey Colony. It severely hit the supply of water between Bandra and Andheri.
Taps are going dry in homes, but illicit hooch dens, operating in the Aarey Colony premises, are stealing water by punching holes in the main pipeline that supplies water to residential areas extending from Bandra to Andheri.
Eight to nine million litres of water is being stolen daily, said a senior civic official on condition of anonymity. Considering that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) supplies water at an average of 90 litres per person a day, the water drawn illegally is robbing over 88,000 citizens of their quota. Following insufficient rains, water is now all the more precious, but the authorities continue to overlook the menace.
The water main — a 1,200 mm Veravali inlet pipeline which passes through Aarey Colony — is in urgent need of replacement. Persistent drillings by water thieves, along a 2.5 km stretch which passes below the colony, have ensured that the pipeline is beyond repair.
On Monday, a portion of the pipeline burst near Filterpada, at the Powai-end of Aarey Colony. It severely hit the supply of water between Bandra and Andheri. Areas in Andheri, Jogeshwari, and Parle, which are solely dependent on the damaged water main, went without water the whole day. Parts of Santa cruz, Khar and Bandra got the bare minimum. It took the BMC hydraulic department 15 hours to repair the burst that was reported at 5.30 am.
A senior civic official said that even though the damaged portion had been welded, it was likely to burst again. “It has reached a point of no repair,” he said. The pipeline had been repaired just a few days ago on October 31. As many as 26 punctures had been plugged. Most of them were the handiwork of the liquor mafia, said the official.
The civic officials have identified six “vulnerable” spots along the water main. “Three are located near Tapeshwar Mandir Road, where holes are frequently drilled. Two more are near a tabela at Unit No.19. The other spot is at Filterpada,” a civic engineer said.
Additional municipal commissioner Anil Diggikar said that security along the pipeline would be beefed up to keep the thieves at bay.
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