THIRST QUENCHER
State Draws Up Rs 261-Crore Plan To Ensure Metro Region Gets Water Even
During Disasters
Prafulla Marpakwar I TNN
The memories of being inundated by nearly a metre of rain last July 26
are still fresh. Around 1,100 people died in the flood that followed. Road
and rail networks, power and water supplies and telecommunications services
in Mumbai and the surrounding region collapsed.
But if the state government has its way, Mumbai will not have to do
without at least drinking water-even if 26/7 recurs-by the monsoon of 2008.
Water pipes in several parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) were
damaged that day last year and people had to go without drinking water for a
couple of days, officials admitted. “Our new plan will take care of at least
this problem,” said Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) chief engineer
Sanjay Dahasahasra.
The state-run MJP has drafted an ambitious Rs 261-crore plan to
interlink waterworks in the MMR to ensure that civic organisations are able
to provide at least drinking water to the entire population.
“We are sure we will be able to provide drinking water to affected areas
within 24 hours of a disaster of any magnitude striking the region,”
Dahasahasra said.
Water pipelines in several parts of the region were severely damaged and
engineers found it difficult to locate the exact spots where the damage had
occurred.
“It was a complex problem of having to supply water to parched regions
that were, ironically, under water. It actually turned into a major
law-and-order problem in some areas,” Dahasahasra remarked.
Engineers finally borrowed water from the Maharashtra Industrial
Development Corporation and the supply was injected into the civic network
at three spots. “But the manner in which we drew water from MIDC prompted us
to draft a new idea. Principal secretary Vishwas Dhumal suggested the
interlinking of all watersupply schemes, on the lines of the power grid, in
the entire MMR to tackle such a disaster,” he added.
MJP technocrats and bureaucrats held several meetings, visited the major
schemes and interacted with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials to
draft the scheme after they got the go-ahead.
“We are ready with the entire scheme now. All schemes, except those
supplying water to BMC areas, will be implemented before the next monsoon
and the plan for BMC areas will be implemented a year after that,”
Dahasahasra said.
The plan for BMC areas is the costliest at Rs 187.19 crore. Rs 41.39
crore will be required for Mira-Bhayandar, Rs 17.21 crore for the other five
municipal corporations and 13 municipal councils, and Rs 15 crore for
logistics.