Mumbai currently receives 3,350 million litres of water per day (MLD), of which 650 MLD, the volume the Pune Municipal Corporation supplies to its 30-lakh population in a day, is wasted, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The BMC on Saturday announced that “due to heavy leakages on 72-inch diameter Mumbai II water main at the Eastern Express Highway junction of Sion-Panvel Road, there will be 25 per cent water cut for 24 hours from 12 midnight on Saturday to 12 midnight on Sunday in B, E, F/South, F/north wards and some parts of Chembur. Citizens are requested to use water sparingly and co-operate”.

This appeal comes at a time when the BMC is planning several reforms to plug leakages, thefts and wastage under its ambitious ‘Sujal Mumbai’ project, which aims at providing 24X7 water to Mumbaiites.

While activists and politicians have raised questions about the efficacy of the civic body’s plans, BMC has been stressing the importance of its schemes like telescopic rates to counter wastage, pre-paid meters in slums to check thefts and zonal contracts for effective supply and maintenance (see box).

Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Manu Kumar Shrivastava, who is in charge of the proposed water reforms, said continuous supply was not a fad that BMC had picked up. “Sujal Mumbai is a multi-prolonged mission which will help the city move from the current intermittent to continuous water supply. The city has enough water to achieve this and only needs certain reforms,” he said.

Shiv Sena corporator Rahul Shewale, a member of the civic body’s Standing Committee, however, feels that the 24X7 water supply is just not possible. “The plan is perfect on paper, but what we need is a revised plan of existing water infrastructure in sync with the growing population,” he said, adding there is need to change the old pipelines with that of bigger diameter. He said for continuous water supply, the reservoirs and pipelines needed to be at full capacity all the time. “Pressure should be maintained from reservoirs when water is released but if one makes calculations, it doesn’t work out. We cannot maintain the supply from reservoirs and pipelines at the same time,” he said.

Bharat Patnakar, an activist behind equitable distribution of water movement in Maharashtra and state organiser of Shramik Mukti Dal, said that BMC should first ensure adequate and equal water supply to all. “There should be no distinction within different parts of the city—south Mumbai, suburbs and slums. The lowest minimum level of water consumption and usage should be identified and it should be guaranteed to all,” he said.

Afsar Jafri, an activist from Mumbai Pani and Pani Hakk Abhiyan, said the civic body’s reforms did not take citizens into confidence. “The pre-paid water meters raise doubts on the fundamental right of a citizen to water. Access to water is every citizen’s right. But BMC’s reforms will create a disparity among people. No one is asking for free water, but there has to be a uniform mechanism for all,” he said.

Patankar said the water reforms could create social and economic tension in slums. “Water should be not given free but its cost should be fixed on the basis of operation and maintenance. Enforcement of water recycling on industries should be made stricter,” he said.

Shewale said the civic body should have a strict law for unauthorised constructions to stop water thefts.

However, despite arguments and differences of opinion, Shrivastava said, “The elected representatives have not opposed any of the proposals, except for the pre-paid meters.”

Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak said that protests and opposition were part of every new policy decision. “It is a democratic society and some people are bound to protest. We will take decisions only after building a consensus,” he said.

Shrivastava said the reforms undertaken by the BMC would gradually lead to success. “These steps are the beginning of the Sujal Mumbai mission. It will take another five years for continuous water supply,” he said.

Telescopic rates

Residential consumers in authorised structures such as buildings/bungalows and chawls using more than the national norm of 150 litres per capita per day will now have to pay more. The consumption of water up to 150 litres a day will be charged at Rs 3.50 per 1,000 litres, which will be doubled for the usage between 150 and 200 litres, increased three-fold for the usage of between 200 to 250 litres a day and so on. The proposal has been cleared by the Standing Committee.

Pre-paid water meters

The civic body has mooted pre-paid water meters for the residents of unauthorised hutments and structures that came into existence after January 1, 1995. The BMC has proposed stand-post connections with pre-paid water meters, which can allow water consumption based on advance payment by consumers. To get water, consumers will have to buy ‘water credits’ depending on their requirement, which can be loaded in their respective ‘water cards’.

The BMC proposes to charge consumers under the pre-paid system at Rs 2.25 per 1,000 litres without any separate sewerage charges.

The proposal is yet to be approved.

Automatic meters

More than 50 per cent of the existing water meters in the city are not in working condition. To implement the telescopic rate structure, new water meters will have to be installed for all connections. The civic administration is in the process of finalising an agency to install, maintain and operate the meters for five years. The meters, BMC hopes, will bring in transparency and accuracy in water bills.

The city will also be divided into District Metering Areas for better management.

Zonal contractors

To maintain, operate and repair the water distribution system, the civic body has appointed six zonal contractors. At a budget of Rs 20 crore for each zone, these contractors will work towards minimising leakages, replacing old pipelines and laying new water mains, construction of sluice valve chambers, repairing and fixing fire hydrants and executing any work for strengthening of supply network.

Pipeline security

Mumbai is supplied water from dams located in Thane and Shahpur districts. Regular thefts and breaking of water pipelines made NGOs and civic body take notice of encroachments along the 400-km network of pipelines in the city. After a PIL filed in the Bombay High Court, the BMC conducted a survey and found that there are over 15,000 hutments within 10 feet of the city’s pipelines. But the civic body has said that it will take another five years to rehabilitate the slum-dwellers and clear the pipelines of encroachments.