Navi Mumbai: The irrigation department will impose a 7% cut for four agencies supplying daily drinking water to a vast area in MMR, comprising of seven major civic bodies— besides industrial area— from March 19 till July 15.
This is because the onset of summer has led to an estimated 12 % loss of water from reservoirs. Usually, the average loss is 10%.
According to sources, Barvi dam has 130 million cubic meter (MCM), while
Tata Andre dam has 90 MCM. The four agencies lift 1,870 MLD, including 300 MLD for irrigation from Ulhas river which provides water supply released by two dams. The 7% cut is for drinking water and not for irrigation. Out of 1,870 MLD, 300 MLD is for irrigation supply. The MIDC said as the irrigation department is the decision making authority, it will have to enforce the water cut. The irrigation department said different days in a week have been earmarked for the four agencies that will not be allowed to lift water.
MIDC is the bulk supplier, while the others that supply water are KDMC, STEM and MJP. MIDC supplies to Thane, Mira Bhayander, 27 villages of the
KDMC and Ulhasnagar, besides the industrial belt and Thane-Belapur belt in Navi Mumbai. STEM supplies water to Sahad, Temghar, Thane and Bhiwandi; while MJP supplies to Ambernath and Badlapur. MJP will not lift water from Ulhas river on Monday, KDMC on Tuesday, STEM on Wednesday and MIDC on Friday. Over the weekend all the four agenices will draw water and pump it.
Meanwhile, residents will be affected with this. The civic bodies of Thane, Mira Bhyander, Kalyan Dombivli,
Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Badlapur, Shahad and Temghar will be hit.
The decision is as per the available water supply in Barvi and Tata Andre dam whose water stock may last till July 15. The department handles various dams in the state and one among them is Barvi dam. It also monitors the water release from Tata Andre dam—both dams release water into the Ulhas river from where four different agencies lift and pump water to several municipal corporations. Last year the cut of 14 % was enforced from November 15 to July 15 in view of less stock in the dams, the department said.
