Following complaints of unequal distribution of water in various parts of Mumbai, the State government has decided to install flow meters to measure its supply.
A drive to take stock of the supply of corporation water in the 24 wards of the city, where some parts are getting water with lesser pressure than the others, will soon be carried out. The government conceded during a debate in the Legislative Council that shortage of water remains a concern.
Minister of State, Urban Development Department, Yogesh Sagar, informed the Upper House that a directive would be given to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), asking it to install water gauge meters in parts of south Mumbai and wards in the suburbs. The measure will help the government understand if any injustice is being done to ‘select’ regions of the city, as alleged by members of the House.
“In some areas, where there the BMC has imposed a 10% cut the water supply still remains consistent. While other areas with no cut imposed have poor water pressure. We will ask BMC to carry out a measurement drive to remove this anomaly,” Mr. Sagar said.
A debate on the issue was brought forward in the house by Rahul Narvekar who said the problem was acute in slums of Colaba, Gita Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Mahatma Phule Nagar, Fishermen’s Society and Colaba Market among other areas. Other members of the Council then pointed out that the problem was as bad in the suburbs.
The members also said complaints to the corporation were not being resolved within the promised 24-hour time frame.
Mr. Sagar said the new water connections will be given within the 30 days’ promised time limit of the corporation. “We will make sure even the complaints are addressed in 24 hours,” he told the members of the House.