Thousands of residents from plush residential complexes in and around Ghodbunder Road and parts of Thane city continue to face water scarcity and are forced to spend an average Rs 15,000 a day for tankers and packaged drinking water.
The representatives of nearly 250 housing societies recently met to find a solution to the perennial water crisis in the area, which aggravates during summer. The situation is no different in the suburbs of Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva, residents lamented. Even as Thane Municipal Corporation claimed it was working towards regularising water supply throughout the city, which houses a population of 22 lakh, the BJP has threatened to approach the Bombay high court if the issue is not resolved soon.
According to sources, Thane city draws nearly 485 million litres of water daily from various sources, but an apparent faulty distribution system, riddled with leakages, leaves a section of the city to face water crisis frequently. Even as water supply to households looks well above the national average of 135 litres per individual on paper, on the ground, many areas continue to face inadequate supply.
Anubha Sahai, a resident of Hiranandani Estate, complained that the municipal water supply to their complex is inadequate despite paying water and property taxes every year. “We end up paying a fortune to the tanker lobby. The corporation should at least provide us with basic facilities for the taxes we pay,” Sahai said.
A resident of Kavesar on Ghodbunder Road complained that the supply is erratic, which often disrupts the daily schedule of household chores. “There is no water in the afternoon and the supply is inadequate throughout the day. Repeated complaints to local netas and administration have yielded no results,” she said.
The BJP has demanded a halt on new constructions owing to the water crisis. “We received nearly 250 complaints from residents and later even met the municipal commissioner to apprise him about the water scarcity along Ghodbunder Road,” BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar said. “Many societies told us that they spend Rs 15,000 daily on procuring water privately. We will approach the HC as a few years back, the civic body had assured the court of having adequate water supply. We will also push for a stop on all new constructions in Thane city.”
A civic official said the Thane Municipal Corporation is working towards getting more water from the Bhatsa reservoir. “We are also upgrading our network to plug leakages to ensure that the water supplied is optimally used,” added the official.
