Hindustan Times 17.12.2009
Commissioner visits lakes to review situationThe worsening water crisis prompted Municipal Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya to visit the Bhatsa, Tansa and Modak Sagar lakes in Thane district on Wednesday to review the water supply situation.
He has asked the civic administration to take the steps to ensure enough supply until the next monsoon. Kshatriya also inspected pumping stations and the purification plant.
“Although there is a scarcity it’s not impossible to supply water till the monsoon if we plan properly and manage well,” said Kshatriya.
Hindustan Times had reported on Wednesday that water in the three lakes catering to the western suburbs and island city would last only for 200 days. The civic body was considering the option of imposing a 100 per cent water cut in each zone of the city once a week.
This means Mumbaiites will have to do without water supply for one day in a week.
There are 108 water supply zones in the city, which will be broadly divided into seven zones [two in city, two in western suburbs and three in eastern suburbs]. Each zone will have to face 100 per cent cut once a week.
Civic officials said they are planning to draw less water from the dams once the mercury dips so that they can save some for the summer.
The municipal body said there are 7.69 lakh million litres of water in all the six lakes together.
Last, year, this time, these lakes had 10.07 lakh million litres of water.
The corporation plans to approach the Supreme Court to seek permission to provide legal water connections to slums that have mushroomed in the city between 1995 and 2000. About 3.84 lakh shanties have come up during this period.
“Legalising water connections would decrease the theft of water,” said Anil Diggikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner.
