MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday suspended for two months its notice issued to ring-well and borewell owners in the city, asking them to implement the 2020 guidelines of the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
“We are suspending the notices for two months,” said municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani.
Late on Friday evening, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had reached out to Gagrani and asked him to look into the issue. Fadnavis noted on X that summer had begun and some areas were experiencing water shortages. “We have to find a solution… spoken to BMC Commissioner,” he tweeted.
In a mark of protest against the notices, meanwhile, the Mumbai Water Tankers Association (MWTA) had announced an indefinite suspension of services from April 10. This strike began on Thursday, and MWTA has so far indicated that it will continue.
“We don’t want CGWA guidelines to be implemented even two months down the line, as the guidelines cannot be adhered to by us,” said MWTA spokesperson Ankur Sharma.
As a result, for the second consecutive day, lakhs of Mumbaiites have struggled to meet their need for water. Affected areas include neigbhourhoods that depend on tankers for domestic supply, and places where municipal supply is either insufficient or largely absent (as in certain slum pockets).
There have been other fallouts too. In just one residential example, Vijaydeep Building in Khar, whose water pipeline was damaged on Wednesday amid road work, went without water supply for 24 hours. “Since the private tankers are on strike, we had to put up a fight at the local BMC office to receive one tanker of potable water given that several other places who regularly depend on tankers were lined up as well,” said Zoru Bathena, a resident and an activist.
Elsewhere, the University of Mumbai Kalina campus, made up of more than 66 buildings, including hostels and residential quarters for staff and faculty, received none of its private tanker supply. The boys’ hostel mess had to shut temporarily as a result.
The Kalina campus requires about 2 million litres a day. Of this, municipal supply accounts for about 900,000 litres. “We are in talks with the BMC. As the campus offices will remain closed for three days starting Saturday, water meant for administrative use will be diverted to hostels and residences. We are also exploring alternative solutions in case the strike continues,” a university official said.
The Mumbai Cricket Association, meanwhile, has suspended swimming pool services until further notice. “We use tanker water for lawn and other utilities and have water in stock for another 24 hours. The circular is a preventive measure. We are limiting usage,” said Ajay Desai, president of the Mumbai Cricket Association club at Bandra-Kurla Complex.
Water tankers, run by private companies, tie up with well-owners in the city, to draw the water they distribute. Currently, this business is unregulated. CGWA’s 2020 guidelines require well-owners to set up digital water-flow meters and submit regular groundwater reports, among other measures.
