A scheduled 10-hour water supply shutdown by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) extended into nearly 24 hours, leaving several areas in the city facing a water crisis. The delay was caused by incomplete repair work on a major water pipeline in Seawoods.
On Thursday, NMMC took the shutdown to carry out maintenance work on the Bhokarpada water purification plant and the main pipeline connecting Morbe Dam to Digha. However, repairs on the Seawoods pipeline, which began after a leak caused part of the road near Akshar Chowk on Palm Beach Road to collapse on Wednesday, were not completed in time. This further disrupted water supply, leaving residents without water on Friday morning.
The repair work encountered several challenges, primarily due to the cycling track constructed over the pipeline, which complicated access to the damaged section. While the road was restored by Friday evening, the delay in completing the repairs exacerbated the water shortage.
Originally, NMMC had planned to halt water supply for 10 hours on Thursday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., to facilitate maintenance. This affected water supply in the NMMC area as well as Kamothe and Kharghar, with expectations of low pressure on Friday, September 27.
However, the additional delay caused by the pipeline leak prolonged the disruption. Repairs continued until 7:45 a.m. on Friday, preventing the timely resumption of water supply. Consequently, residents of Navi Mumbai experienced significant inconvenience.
NMMC had appealed to residents to conserve water during this period and assured them that regular water supply would resume by Friday evening.