Mumbai: Water cut rolled back too early, say corporators

The catchment area of lakes that supply water to the city received very low rainfall on Thursday. Representation pic

A year after it implemented a 10 per cent water cut across the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Friday decided to roll it back. The announcement was made in the civic standing committee meeting. Corporators, however, are skeptical of the move. Low rainfall in the next couple of months will mean water cuts again, they feared.

Even as the lake levels have risen to above 50 per cent of their total storage capacity, the city's water stock is around 23 per cent lower than what it had last year. On July 19, 2018, the stock was 11,10,324 million litres of water as compared to Friday's stock of 7,43,531 million litres. The catchment areas of major lakes that supply water to the city hardly received an average of 1 to 10 mm rainfall on Thursday.

Also Read: Mumbai Rains: Dry spell no bar, BMC mulls rolling back 10 per cent water cut for city

The civic body implemented the 10 per cent water cut last November despite receiving a good amount of rainfall up to July 2018. This year, however, the decision to revoke the cut has come in early, banking on a good monsoon. With the election code of conduct likely to come into effect during monsoon, the BMC will be unable to make such decisions and thus taken it in advance, suspected some corporators.

Ravi Raja, Congress corporator and opposition leader, said, "With the kind of rainfall that the catchment areas are receiving, the decision is very early. There was no need for BMC to take such a hasty call. The administration must ensure that there is not another 20 to 30 per cent water cut after October."

Additional Municipal Commissioner Praveen Darade said, "The concerns of the members of the standing committee will be considered. The decision to withdraw the water cut will be effective from July 20."

Also Read: Mumbai Rains: Significant rise in city's lake levels

23 percent
Percentage by which this year's stock is lower than last year's

11.10 lakh
Million litres of water in stock on July 19, 2018

7.43 lakh
Million litres of water in stock pas of Friday

Also Read: The water wars will come, soon

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