Thane Urged To Halt New Projects Amid Growing Water Scarcity
In Thane, mounting water scarcity along the Ghodbunder Highway corridor has prompted a political appeal to the civic administration to suspend approvals for new construction projects, spotlighting the intersection of urban expansion and essential resource constraints in one of the Mumbai metropolitan area’s fastest-growing corridors.
Senior local representatives from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have written to the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) urging an immediate halt to fresh construction permits, citing “acute shortages” that are forcing residents in many large housing complexes to depend on costly private water tankers. According to local data, although the city’s water supply system processes hundreds of millions of litres per day, many sectors of Thane are receiving inconsistent delivery, particularly ahead of the summer season.The appeal reflects an intensifying civic debate about whether Thane’s infrastructure—especially its drinking water distribution network—is keeping pace with urbanisation. Proponents of the moratorium argue that allowing new residential and commercial developments without commensurate investments in water sourcing and distribution would deepen inequality in access to potable water. As one corporator put it, prioritising the needs of existing residents before greenlighting additional demand is essential to prevent further strain.
For many communities in Thane, water scarcity is not a new issue. In recent years, residents across various wards—including Majiwada, Manpada and Kasarvadavali—have reported erratic levels of supply, with some areas receiving water for only a few hours per day during peak shortages. This has underscored long-standing concerns about how population growth and residential intensification affect resource equity.Urban planners note that episodic shortages tend to intensify in pre-summer months due to lower reservoir levels and higher consumption, particularly where infrastructure lags behind demand. Unlike Mumbai, which has launched multi-thousand-crore projects such as desalination plants and transmission tunnels to shore up future supplies, Thane’s water planning has largely focused on short-term conservation measures and service management reforms.
The BJP’s suggestion to freeze new construction approvals links directly to these dynamics. Local representatives argue that without firm guarantees of increased water allocations or strengthened supply infrastructure, additional development could further erode service reliability for existing neighbourhoods. Market analysts also point out that water insecurity can dampen investor confidence in real estate markets, particularly when utility infrastructure becomes a constraint on liveability.However, critics warn that a blanket halt on approvals may have unintended consequences if not paired with a long-term resource strategy. Urban policy experts emphasise that addressing water scarcity in fast-urbanising districts like Thane requires coordinated solutions—such as enhancing storage capacity, modernising distribution networks, integrating non-potable reuse systems and incentivising water-efficient building design—rather than ad hoc building moratoriums.
As Thane enters another dry season, civic authorities will have to balance competing pressures: sustaining economic growth through orderly urban development while ensuring equitable access to fundamental services like water. The outcome of this debate could influence future planning paradigms for peri-urban regions around India’s megacities.
