Urban News

Indian Express 13.01.2010

Water 7 days a week

Mumbaikars might not have to face the proposed 100 per cent water cut once a week. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has held back the move for the time being, hoping the state government will bail it out by providing additional water if the crisis worsens during the summer.

At a meeting on Monday at the Mayor’s bungalow among Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, Mayor Shraddha Jadhav, the commissioner and officials from the hydraulic engineer’s department, the BMC decided it would wait for the government’s final decision.

“We have sought extra water from the Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna dams in view of poor rainfall and the state irrigation department is working out the nitty-gritty. Till then we will hold back the no water for a day experiment,” commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya said.

In a recent meeting with Chief Secretary J P Dange, the water resources department had assured it would help the BMC with additional water in April and May. The decision on how much water and when is expected soon. Kshatriya said if the state provides enough, it would increase the stock in the dams and there would be no need to ration water.

Last month, the civic body had announced cyclical, 100-per-cent water cuts for a day a week, as an experiment for two weeks from the second week of January. It was proposed that the city’s water network would be divided into seven zones (two in the island city, two in the western suburbs and three in the eastern suburbs) and supply would be cut off totally to each zone on a cyclic pattern. Officials said the experiment was necessary if the existing available water has to last till the monsoon arrives

The decision faced political opposition, not only from the Congress-NCP but also from Sena-BJP corporators. Due to a weak, delayed monsoon, supply has already been cut 15 per cent and corporators said there was need to create awareness among Mumbaikars before such a drastic scheme

Hindustan Times 13.01.2010

The suburban district collector’s office has been working on identifying lakes and reservoirs in suburbs that can be restored and used as an alternate water source for the future.

Over the last three years, 102 water bodies in the suburbs have been identified but most of these are full of debris and have encroachment around them. After mapping and photographing the city, among the few lakes identified, 11 are in Manori, nine in Kandivli, four in Malad, seven in pahaadi Goregaon and four in Bandra.

Vishwas Patil, suburban collector said: “We have identified these lakes so that they can be cleaned and restored before the coming monsoons. Water collected in these lakes can be used for non-potable purpose.”

The Development Planning Authority (DPA), under the collector, has begun restoration work on eight lakes: Ashish Cinema Talao in Chembur, Lotus Talao in Marve Road, Shantaram Talao in Malad (E), Shivaji Talao in Bhandup (W), Charai Talao in Chembur, Eksaar Talao in Borivli (W), Ghatla Talao in Trombay and Ganesh Visarja Talao in Mulund. The cost of restoring one lake is between Rs 50-80 lakh.

Citizen groups and residents have welcomed the idea. “Once a lake in our neighborhood is restored, we will help the authorities to maintain it,” said Nandini Singh, a Mulund resident.

More than 75 per cent of water is used for non-potable purposes. Water from these lakes will help minimise the use of fresh water for non-potable purpose.

One of the biggest lakes in the city with an area of more than one acre is near Juhu and falls under the Airport Authority of India (AAI). A letter from the collector’s office has been sent to AAI seeking a No-Objection Certificate for its restoration.

Patil said they were talking with Municipal Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya for the BMC’s help so that the work could be completed before monsoon.

In the first phase of restoration, the lakes will undergo cleaning, widening and de-silting.