Water woes in Mumbai: There's a sprinkle of hope, for now

Be wet and happy. The Mumbai of 2020 will not have water shortage. The existing water distribution planning numbers, based on the expected rise in population in the 2011 Census, are much within control as the actual population figures are much less than estimated.

If the same pattern continues, there will be water for all in the future. The villains could be leakage, theft and waste of water resources from planned distribution. They need to be plugged and even citizens have to be part of the water conservation initiatives.

“More than 20% water is lost in transit, stolen by the water mafia, which sells it at a higher price. If the mafias are charged for this water at commercial rates, the civic body can earn a better revenue. But there is a nexus between ward-level officials, chaabiwallas, the police and senior civic officials. Without them, the network cannot function,” says research fellow Dhaval Desai of city-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Dhaval has authored a report on the subject.

Mumbai has abundant natural water resources. But an increasing demand for water and the uneven growth in  population make water distribution management a difficult task for  civic authorities.

The question that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) tries to dodge is the amount of water the city loses every day. It is estimated that approximately 900 million litres per day is lost out.

TV Shah, water expert and ex-hydraulic engineer of the BMC, throws light on the complex issue of water distribution in the city.

Shah explains how the demography and population distribution in the city play an important role in the water situation. “The pressure at which the water is supplied to the slums and the old buildings is much less than what the residents in the new building gets.

The poor end up getting less water, for which they often have to pay more than the rich,” says Shah.

Desai, however, says if the civic body concentrated only on water losses and plugging leakages by keeping a check on water thefts and illegal connections, half of the battle would be won.

The BMC  must prepare a comprehensive and watertight five-year plan, focussing purely on controlling leaks and bursts. Instead of going in for highly capital intensive source augmentation schemes, the BMC must focus sincerely on controlling the gross wastage of the precious natural resource.

This exercise must be undertaken in an absolute mission mode and become the single most priority area for the BMC over the next five years.

The other method, ORF says, is to recycle water. Mumbai gets 3,430 MLD of water daily. It also releases nearly an equal quantity of water in its sewage system. Recycling even a fraction of this enormous of water to cater to some of the  principal water guzzling industries like construction, and for possible secondary or non-potable uses like gardening and toilet-flushing etcetera will go a long way in controlling the abuse of drinking water.

Case study—Tasma, student
Six-year-old Tasma starts her day at 6:30 every morning.

But not to get ready for her school. She picks up two plastic cans and heads for the 10th Road of Baiganwadi in Govandi. She walks a kilometre, fill the cans with water and heads back home, stopping many times en route to give rest to her aching arms.

Tasma does this ferry at least 8-10 times between 6:30 and 8:30 am.  She has friends her age doing the same chore every day.

“I don’t have any choice, but to send my daughter to fetch water.

This way, I save Rs60 daily, which, otherwise, I would have paid for one drum of water. The only compromise I have to make is her formal schooling. So I send her to a madrassa,” said Tabassum, Tasma’s 26-year-old mother.

Tasma’s father is a hawker who roams around selling garments.

The family earns  barely Rs5,000-6,000. If they buy water
everyday, they will have no money to feed four people.

Baiganwadi is one of the areas facing acute water shortage. The mafia rules the area and sells water at prices they deem fit.

Waqar Khan, a Samajwadi Party worker, said, “These young girls have started liking ferrying water cans as they make friends and have fun on their way. It has now become a routine for them. No one bothers about their education.

Few parents want their daughters to go to schools. Parents let their children miss their first two sessions so that they can fill water for the entire day, before leaving for the school,” said Khan.