Despite water shortage, Mumbai consumes beyond BMC limit

While a considerable portion of Mumbai suffered acute water cuts, a section consumed water in excess of the limit (150 litre per person per day, or lppd) set by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the financial year gone by.

Even as the BMC decreased supply by 15% during the year’s second half to compensate for deficient rains, the water bill for April 2009 to March 2010 (Rs915 crore) was Rs10 crore more than the year before (Rs905 crore).

“This means that while the taps dried up in some parts of the city, a large section of those who received water regularly made wasteful use of the supply,” said a senior hydraulic department official.

The revenue jump is significant considering that since water cuts were introduced after monsoon, the city’s supply decreased by 500 million litres daily (mld).

But BMC officials said there could be several reasons behind the rise in revenue. One said there has been an increase in the number of families who are charged “telescopic” supply rates.    

In 2008, the BMC introduced a billing pattern where consumers are charged two, three, and four times the regular rate (Rs3.50 per kilo litre) for excess water consumption of up to 200, 250 and 300 lppd, respectively.

Another official said a part of the rise could be attributed to an increase in the number of water connections: over 40,000 additional bills were generated in the fiscal.