BMC pipe dreams yet to take off
The BMC’s promise to provide an additional 300 million litres of
water daily (mld) by December 2006 may have come as a ray of hope for all
those who have bought homes in new residential complexes. But the hope
doesn’t seem likely to last long as the BMC is yet to lay pipelines to carry the
additional water. While additional municipal commissioner Manu Kumar
Srivastava, in charge of projects, insists that the 100 mld from the Mumbai
III A water supply project and another 300 mld from the Mumbai III B project
will be available in time, the ground reality is somewhat different.
Worse, south Mumbai and Andheri (west) have already become critical
areas even as there are water shortage problems in other localities. Water
to Andheri (west) is supplied from the Veravali reservoirs I, II and III
through a single pipeline. To augment the supply, the BMC had proposed a
water tunnel from the reservoir to Versova.
But by Srivastava’s own admission, the Veravali reservoir [Mahakali
Caves, Andheri (east), to Versova in Andheri (west)] tunnel work is yet to
begin. While tenders have been scrutinised, work orders are yet to be
issued. “Once the tunnel is commissioned, the old pipeline will be used to
ferry additional water to Bandra,” said an official. Tenders for the
Malabar Hill to Azad Maidan tunnel will be invited only on August 23. Work
on constructing a new pumping station at Panjrapole in Thane district too is
moving at a snail’s pace.
Yet Srivastava promises the water will be available as it will be
carried through the existing pipeline. “The existing pipeline is used only
for a few hours daily and the rest of the time it lies idle. We will pump in
the water during the remaining time,” he said.
But the hydraulic department pointed out that water is supplied to
various parts in the same ward in a staggered manner. “The supply depends on
the inflow of water in the reservoir. The water from the lakes is brought to
the Bhandup filtration plant from where it is further taken to the 28
reservoirs across the city. Hence, all parts of the city and even different
areas in a ward do not get water at the same time,” said D P Kajbaje, chief
engineer, water supply. “Our existing pipelines have a carrying capacity of
maximum 3,050 mld so though water is available we cannot lift it at
present,”
he said.
Civic sources said it is only because of the Bhandup and Charkop tunnels
commissioned last year that the BMC is able to lift 150 mld of the 355mld
from the Mumbai III A project. “The laying of pipelines is unlikely to be
completed before 2009 and the residents of these buildings will have to rely
on other means for their drinking water,” said sources.
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