Mumbai civic representatives have renewed demands for the withdrawal of the city’s 10% water cut before Ganeshotsav, citing a reported water stock of about 96% in the seven reservoirs that supply the city. The demand was raised during a meeting of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s standing committee on Wednesday, a day after water shortages were discussed in the civic body’s general meeting.
Residents in several parts of Mumbai are currently receiving water at low pressure, while some areas have also reported muddy water, according to the report. The complaints have intensified ahead of Ganeshotsav, when residential and community water requirements are expected to remain a focus of civic administration.
During the standing committee meeting, corporators raised problems from different wards, including unreliable supply, the poor condition of water pipelines, wastage caused by leakages and the use of alternative water sources. The civic administration, however, advised residents to use water carefully and told members that another month of the monsoon remained, while rainfall had not yet occurred as expected.
The issue had already led to a disruption in a ward committee meeting in Malad on Tuesday, when corporators sought to focus on the city’s water supply problems. With reservoir levels reported at approximately 95% to 96%, elected representatives have increased pressure on the administration to reconsider the residential water cut before the festival.
Shraddha Jadhav, a corporator from the Shiv Sena (UBT), asked when the water cut would be withdrawn. MNS group leader Yashwant Killedar said residents in Mumbai’s slum areas faced particular difficulties and alleged that elected representatives were being held accountable for failures in the water supply system. The report stated that around 70% of Mumbai’s population lives in slum areas, where regular supply remains a concern.
Killedar also referred to the age of several water pipelines supplying the city, describing them as dating back to the British period. The condition of the distribution network and water losses from leakages were among the issues raised during the meeting.
Pravin Darekar suggested that the 10% cut on residential water use should be withdrawn while restrictions on commercial water consumption should continue. The proposal was made as corporators questioned why residents continued to face supply problems despite the reported reservoir storage levels.
Congress corporator Dr Ajanta Yadav reminded the administration of its earlier promise to provide Mumbai with 24-hour water supply. She said the promise had not been fulfilled. The civic administration’s position, as reported, remains that residents should conserve water while the city waits for further rainfall. No decision to withdraw the water cut was reported from the standing committee meeting.
