Compared to the island city, more people stay in the suburbs and pay higher taxes to the municipal corporation. Yet, suburban residents get a smaller share of the water.
Compared to the island city, more people stay in the suburbs and pay higher taxes to the municipal corporation. Yet, suburban residents get a smaller share of the water supplied by the civic body.
To protest against this “injustice”, residents from Borivili and nearby areas plan to take out a morcha to the municipal ward office on Wednesday. Mahesh Shah, a resident, said, “We have been subjected to water shortage for over six months now. The protest will be supported by the BJP. The party’s city unit president Gopal Shetty is expected to lead the protest.”
More than 59 lakh Mumbaikars reside in the western suburbs. Statistics from the water department suggest that the region gets 1,280 million litres of water daily (mld). In contrast, the island city, which has a population of 35 lakh, gets around 1,142 mld. The population to water ratio is equally worse for the eastern suburbs, which gets 925 mld for a population of 36 lakh.
Rajul Patel, Sena corporator from Andheri, said that this ratio was unfair. “The water supply in Adarsh Nagar and Millat Nagar areas in my ward is very low,” she said, adding that that even the timing of the supply (afternoon) was not favourable.
The water pressure is very low even in areas near Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s residence in Kalanagar, Bandra (East). Area corporator Prakash Sawant complained that the water problem was severe at MIG Colony.
Recently Kandivili corporator Yogesh Sagar also spoke against the unfair treatment to the suburbs and demanded more water for the suburban people.
However, hydraulic engineer SS Korlekar denied the claims. “The water distribution is on the basis of zones. The city has been divided into six zones. There are a few areas from where we have received complaints of water shortage but they are equally spaced.”
Korlekar said that the department was, however, reviewing the supply to each zones.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}