The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced an additional 24-hour water cut of 15 per cent for Mumbai on Tuesday. This comes on top of the existing five per cent water cut already in place due to pre-monsoon maintenance work. The reason cited for this additional cut is the insufficient water levels in the Pise Dam located in Thane district.
According to a statement issued by the BMC on Monday evening, the water supply will be restored once the Pise Dam, situated around 60 kilometres from Mumbai, receives an adequate amount of water from the Bhatsa reservoir.
The BMC explained that a malfunction in one of the rubber bladders of the 32 gates of the Pise Dam occurred on December 16, resulting in water leakage. To repair the bladder, the water level of the dam had to be brought down to 31 metres, which required regulation of water supply from the Bhatsa reservoir.
Although the rubber bladder has been repaired, the dam’s water level is still not sufficient for pumping water to Mumbai via the treatment plant in Panjarpole. While water from the Bhatsa reservoir has been released, it is located 48 kilometres away from the Pise Dam, which means it will take some time for the water to reach and bring the dam’s water level to an adequate state.
This additional water cut comes on the heels of a previously announced five per cent water cut from March 15 to April 24 due to cleaning activities scheduled at the water purification plant in Bhandup, one of the largest plants in Asia.
Initially, the BMC had proposed a ten per cent water cut due to low lake levels. However, this did not come into effect following assurances from the state government to address the water deficit from its reserve stock.
In light of these developments, residents of Mumbai are urged to use water judiciously and cooperate with the BMC during this period of water scarcity.
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