Mumbai: Residents question BMC’s three water projects

The projects include the Water Distribution Improvement Programme (WDIP) that started with much fanfare in 2014. It aimed at providing 24X7 water supply, better water management with customer care services, leak detection in water pipelines, GIS (geographical information system) mapping for the existing supply network — a total of 10 services. The deadline of the project was 2019.

But four years on, it has now hit a dead end because of depleting water stock. On Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced a 10 per cent water cut in quantity across the city. The civic body could only start pilot projects for WDIP in H-West (Bandra, Khar and Santacruz) ward from September 7 and in T (Mulund) ward from September 18.

Around two months on, the problems with the project are visible now. Residents complained about inadequate water and low pressure. “Before the project started, we at least received continuous water supply for a couple of hours daily. Now, the so-called 24X7 water supply project has resulted in erratic timings and low pressure of water. During Diwali, we were forced to get a water tanker,” said Himmat Parmar, a resident of Mount Mary in Bandra West.

Local corporators claim that the project has been scrapped. “After the project started, many areas on the edge of Bandra, like Khadeshwari, are not getting water again. The authorities are not admitting it but the project has probably been scrapped,” said Asif Zakaria, the Bandra corporator.

A civic official said: “The water supply network in the city is complex. The pilot project was supposed to check the system and prepare a plan for the entire city. No decision has been taken about the continuity of the WDIP.”

The two other projects are Sujal Mumbai Abhiyan, launched in 2007, and Automatic Meter Reading (AMR), launched in 2008.

Under Sujal Mumbai Abhiyan, the authorities focused only on construction of water tunnel and not individual connections. The AMR covered nearly 89,000 housing societies but ignored slums and chawls.

Both projects did not take off and officials had then blamed inadequate data and lack of basic infrastructure for it.