Panvel residents, brace for water cut from today
Officials are worried that the scenario is likely to get worsened if it does not rain adequately this year.
mumbai Updated: Mar 16, 2018 01:14 IST
Residents of Panvel are going to face water shortage from Friday as the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has announced a supply cut because of which, water will be available now on alternate days.
PCMC is heavily dependent on Dehrang dam, which supplies 12 million litres per day (mld) water to Panvel that has a population of over 1 lakh people. The dam has a water storage capacity of 2.5 million cubic metre (mcm) and 3.57mcm with the flap gates closed.
The total water demand of the city is around 27mld. While Dehrang supplies 12mld, the rest is supplied by Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) which supply 8mld and 7mld water respectively. However, lately, the supply from MJP and MIDC has reduced owing to technical issues. This has led to PCMC drawing additional water from Dehrang dam.
Sandhya Bawankule, deputy municipal commissioner, PCMC, said, “We had actually planned the water cut from February 15, as is done every year. However, water supply committee chairman, Nilesh Baviskar, objected to it, saying efforts will be made to source water from other places like the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC).”
Bawankule said, “We felt that we should go ahead with the water cut and then resume regular water supply if we get it from NMMC. We did not want the situation to worsen further as we have stock to last only till April. Thereafter, we have to take the help of tankers and other sources.”
“However, since Baviskar insisted, we deferred the plan. Now he has permitted the water cut and hence we have announced it. The information is being published through advertisements in newspapers. Water will now be supplied to Panvel on alternate days.”
When asked how long the water cut will be in place, Bawankule said, “We have asked for 25mld water from NMMC. As of now, NMMC commissioner said it will not be possible to supply this volume. We are awaiting their response. If we get the requisite water from NMMC, the water cut will be withdrawn.”
“If we do not get NMMC water, then the rains will decide how long we can have the cut in place. If the situation worsens, the water cut could be increased. If there is adequate rain, we could reduce the cut in phases to 3 days or 2 days.”
Meanwhile, PCMC commissioner Sudhakar Shinde, who has taken up the issue with NMMC is reported to have recently met former minister Ganesh Naik, who leads the ruling NCP in Navi Mumbai, requesting him to support PCMC’s request for water. The NCP had rejected a similar proposal from PCMC last year, allegedly due to political reasons, said sources.