Water woes in city once again

Zero in on locations of pilferage
I condemn the idea of an absolute water cut. The civic administration should have acted on time when they first sensed water scarcity. Now that they know how much water is being stolen everyday, they should take steps to trace the locations where water is being pilfered. The civic administration should take help from the police and punish the violators. A lot of water is being misused by commercial and industrial units. The authorities should be strict on illegal water consumption by industries and ensure that regulations pertaining to water conservation and recycling are being adhered to.
—Abhishek Tiwari

Good distribution will mitigate theft
I won’t blame the civic corporation for introducing complete water cut once a month or week. This year, the monsoon hasn’t been good and we need to get accustomed to the rationing of water. Instead of merely talking about major plans to build infrastructure, the government should start water recycling plants wherever possible. Most ministers have mentioned power and water shortage to be on their agenda, so we want to see what steps are being taken. The state government should not merely make tall claims, but resolve the problem on a war footing. We all too need to be pro-active and try and conserve water wherever possible.
 —Ankita Gada


Citizens must report damage to pipelines
I won’t blame the civic corporation for introducing complete water cut once a month or week. This year, the monsoon hasn’t been good and we need to get accustomed to the rationing of water. Instead of merely talking about major plans to build infrastructure, the government should start water recycling plants wherever possible. Most ministers have mentioned power and water shortage to be on their agenda, so we want to see what steps are being taken. The state government should not merely make tall claims, but resolve the problem on a war footing. We all too need to be pro-active and try and conserve water wherever possible.  
—Ankita Gada

White paper on wastage and utility
Gradually citizens will get acclimatised to the system like load shedding and everyone will understand the importance of water. An inspection committee needs to be assigned the work of inspecting pipelines and rectifying the damaged ones. There must be a white paper on the usage of water and how wastage takes place. Corporate groups must undertake awareness campaigns and NGOs can play a major role in these activities. Short films must be produced and  aired on television channels in public interest.
—Prajakta Kale

Create ample storage facilities on roofs
Water pipelines are more than a century old and belong to the British era. The pipelines are corroded and illegal encroachments have resulted in leakages and illegal use of water. Apart from that, slums and pavements dwellers are the cause of water theft. Even the affluent and middle class inhabitants are to be blamed as there are no steps being taken at our end to save water on a regular basis. The administration is spreading awareness through advertisements. Further, people can be encouraged to install water tanks on rooftops and also create more storage facilities. 
—Niket Shah

Probe theft and curb the practice
The proposed move by the civic corporation to cut down the water supply once in a week will be beneficial for us in the long run. Lets not make a big deal of it, this is the only way we will realise the importance of the precious resource. The corporation must appoint a committee who will probe into water theft and control the practice. This will mitigate the problem to some extent. Currently, I don’t think that the administration is doing enough. They can definitely do much more to create awareness about saving water among people.
—Harish Raut

Expert view
Rationalise usage of prized resource
To tackle the city’s water shortage, the BMC announcing plans to impose complete water cut once a week or month in each municipal ward may sound awful currently. Such measures have become inevitable in a city like Mumbai, where the resources don’t keep pace with supply. Till now, we have been taking water supply for granted and utilising the resource erratically. It’s time each one of us realises the importance of saving water wherever possible. Common people need to support the civic corporation in tackling the problem of water theft in the city. BMC must encourage recycling of water in societies. Through recycling, gardens and parks can be supplied water. In fact treated sewage water can be used for washing vehicles and cleaning building premises. These facilities must be incorporated into the construction of buildings and high-rise apartments, developers as well as the society needs to be encouraged in this venture.
—Shantharam Shenai, director, Green Cross Societ

Give incentives for recycling and reuse
The civic corporation is claiming that around eight million litres of water is being stolen daily, but this also comprises water wasted due to leakage. Large amount of water that seeps away in leakages, remains unaccounted for. People need to cut down their usage. Essentially, the BMC should give incentives for people reusing and recycling water. Citizens need to look at water recycling seriously. Housing societies as well as people residing in bungalows should adopt rainwater harvesting. The BMC had passed a law for recycling water in new buildings, this should be started in old buildings too. If the BMC gets people to recycle 50 - 70 litres of everyday, then we will be saving a lot of water. So rainwater harvesting needs to be done religiously and citizens have to be motivated to recycle water and abjure from misusing this precious resource.
—Janak Daftary, water activist