BMC to Install Modern CCTV Cameras to Watch Over Central Vaitarna Waterway

Mumbai: Central Vaitarna is one of the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai and the network of CCTV cameras has been expanded in the catchment area that supplies water. However, at present, the system installed by the BMC for the internal security of the Central Vaitarna Dam has been in operation for many years and has failed in some places and gone beyond repair as some places are old. 

Therefore, the Water Engineer Department has decided to take up the latest CCTV security system and all other necessary works for the safety of the dam. Around 3,900 million liters per day (MLD) of water is supplied to the City of Mumbai from seven reservoirs - Upper Vaitarna, Modaksagar, Tansa, Hinduhridaysamrat Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray Central Vaitarna Reservoir, Bhatsa, Vihar and Tulsi. 

Supply constraints on major waterways:

Apart from Vihar and Tulsi, the remaining five reservoirs fall outside the limits of Mumbai, i.e. outside the city, and while carrying water from there to Mumbai from a distance of about 125 to 150 kilometers, there is a huge supply load on such large size main water channels. These include Upper Vaitarna (2750 mm), Vaitarna (2400 mm), Tansa (2750 mm), Central Vaitarna (3000 mm), Mumbai-2 (2345 mm), Mumbai-3 (3000 mm)and main water line has a 2235 mm capacity.

The municipality is responsible for safety:

There are about 100 km of service roads along the water line from dams to Mumbai, all of which are maintained and repaired by the BMC. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the municipality to ensure their safety. In view of this, the safety of these lakes is a priority by the civic body.

There are around 10 CCTV cameras in the Central Vaitarna area and every movement in the area is monitored. However, it is now time to replace the old security system and its associated system, so the tender process has been started by the water engineer department of the BMC. It will be mandatory for the selected contractor to supply all the facilities related to it, including the CCTV system, for the next three years.