Despite rain,BMC continues 15pc water cut

Despite corporators demand to withdraw water cut in the city in view of satisfactory rain in the past few days...

Despite corporators demand to withdraw water cut in the city in view of satisfactory rain in the past few days,Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to continue with the 15 per cent water cut,at least for now. At the civic standing committee on Wednesday,corporators unanimously demanded that the 15 per cent water should be rolled back owing to good showers over catchment areas.

However,the civic administration maintains that the water situation is still not satisfactory and water cuts will continue.

BJP corporator Yogesh Sagar said that since Tulsi Lake is overflowing and lake levels are gradually rising BMC should withdraw the water cut. There is no need to for the water cut anymore,especially with festivals like Navratri and Diwali around the corner, Sagar said.

Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak said that the water cut in the city will stay for now. Its true that Tulsi is overflowing but the water supplied by Tulsi forms a very small percentage of the total requirement of the city. Water level in bigger lakes like Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna is still worrisome, Phatak said. Tulsi Lake started overflowing on Monday.

Phatak said that cloud seeding to induce artificial rain will now be carried out over Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna lakes. At present,the lakes have only 9,15,224 million litres as compared to 12,04,028 million litres on the same day last year. We have only 75 per cent of the water that we had at this time last year, Phatak added.

The corporators also lashed out at the administration for not digging borewells and cleaning wells that can meet the demand for non-potable use of water. A fund of Rs 50 lakh was sanctioned for digging borewells and cleaning up wells but nothing had been done so far, corporator Rajul Patel said.

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