Parts of Thane to face 24-hour water cut on Friday

Representative pic

The water supply from the STEM Authority will be stopped from Friday, September 27, at 9 am till 9 am on Saturday, September 28, to undertake maintenance and repair work of 1,530-ml water supply line at Pimpalas in Bhiwandi.

Water supply will be completely stopped for 24 hours in some areas of Ghodbunder Road, Lokmanya Nagar, Vartak Nagar, Saket, Ritupark, Jail, Gandhinagar, Rustomji, Siddhanchal, Indiranagar, Rupadevi, Srinagar, Samtanagar, Siddheshwar, Eternity, Johnson, Mumbra and Kalwa.

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has said that the necessary repair work will be undertaken to stop the leakage on the diameter water line. In addition to this, TMC has also decided to take up urgent maintenance, repair and other urgent works of its High-Pressure Substation and Pumping Machinery at Pise and Temghar Purification Centre.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, TMC said It is necessary to take a 24-hour shutdown of water supply under the STEM authority scheme.

The civic body has urged citizens to cooperate with TMC during this period and use water sparingly.

Mumbai lakes 98 per cent full, but water cuts may continue

Mumbai may face water cuts this year, too, owing to insufficient storage, even as the seven lakes - which provide water across the city - were 98 per cent filled by the last week of September. The July rain had already filled up lakes, and a few showers in August and September have kept the levels high. However, going from past experiences, parts of the city may face water cuts this year, too, as the current storage is insufficient for the vertically expanding city.

The total storage capacity of all seven lakes supplying water to the city is 14,47,363 million litres. Currently, as of September 24, the combined storage of all seven lakes stands at 98.29 per cent, almost similar to last year (98.68 per cent) and the year 2022 (98.97 per cent).

Earlier, if all lakes were full by the end of September - officially the last day of monsoon season - then the water stock would be enough till the next monsoon. But, going by the experience of the past few years, there is a strong possibility of water cuts before the arrival of the next monsoon.

In the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, the lakes were 100 per cent full by the end of the monsoon season, and still parts of the city faced water cuts. Mumbai's daily water supply requirement is about 4,500 million litres, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was able to provide about 3,850 million litres, leading to water cuts.