MMRDA environment society to assess water bodies in Mumbai Metropolitan Region

The Society is likely to finalise a consultant next month for conducting the survey. 

TO ASSESS the water bodies of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the Environment Improvement Society (EIS) of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is proposing to conduct a survey on them in the coming months. The Society is likely to finalise a consultant next month for conducting the survey.

“We will soon appoint a consultant to inventorise all the water bodies in the MMR. While preparing the Regional Plan, we got satellite images and a GIS map of the water bodies in the region prepared along with several other relevant features. We have identified over 2,000 water bodies. Through a ground survey, we will verify the base map, assess their existing condition, usage and the extent to which they have undergone changes over time,” said a senior official of the Society.

There are 994 villages in MMR. The survey will also help villagers in rural MMR since the quality of the primary water sources in the region will also be tested. “This will help the villagers know the condition of their water sources. If they are found to be polluted, some corrective measures can be taken. While a similar inventorisation had been conducted some years ago for Greater Mumbai, this will be the first time we will also check the water quality,” said an official.

The Society proposes to use the data obtained from the survey to work on the conservation of these water bodies. “This survey is only the first step and it will help us to further work on the conservation and augmentation of the water bodies. Once we have them listed, we will know exactly how many water bodies are present and what is their status. The tests will also help us know their quality,” the official added.