Thane Water Crisis: Cuts and Repairs Cause Supply Disruptions Across City

Due to a depletion in the water storage levels of reservoirs supplying water to the Mumbai Metropolitan area, and with a view to make this storage last for a longer duration, the BMC has imposed a 10 percent water cut from June 5, 2024. With this cut being implemented, some areas of Thane city which receive water supply from the BMC are also facing water cuts. It is significantly impacting several residential areas in Thane like Naupada, Pachpakhadi, Louiswadi, Raghunath Nagar, and over 20 other localities. 

The TMC receives 85 MLD water from BMC. Resident groups are voicing concerns over the water scarcity, criticizing both the municipal corporations for not augmenting water resources adequately before imposing such cuts. Low-income communities and slum areas like Janata Zopadpatti, Indiranagar which already face low  water access are being severely impacted, potentially leading to health and sanitation issues.

Also Read | Drought Crisis Escalates in Maharashtra: Surge in Water Tanker Deployments.

On the other hand, residents from Diva, Mumbra, and Kausa are complaining of irregular water supply due to the repair works in the main pipeline. A resident from Diva said, “It's been like this since last Thursday. There is absolutely no water in Diva. Every time we receive a message that the repair work is going on, we are wondering how to run daily activities without a drop of water. Is it a joke?”

This has angered residents who are being forced to rely entirely on expensive private water tankers. In just three days, residents of the Mumbra-Kausa area have had to spend around Rs 50 lakh to purchase water tankers due to the disrupted municipal supply.

Water Supply Engineer Vinod Pawar has assured that water supply would be streamlined in Diva and Mumbra areas. He appealed the citizens to store the required water stock and use it judiciously while cooperating with the Thane Municipal Corporation.