Excerpt from DNA, reported Sandeep Ashar, February 5, 2010: Read Full Article
With the city battling with its worst ever water crisis, a bunch of young heroes have emerged to inspire Mumbaikars to save water.

A class of 37 school students from a Marathi-medium school in Deonar have made their school change its water consumption habits. The initiative, by the class V students, has helped the city save close to 20,160 litres of water everyday.

Here’s how the 10-year-old’s have brought about the change. Disturbed by the water loss due to leaky taps in their school, the students with help from their class teacher — Dr Seema Chudekar — undertook a project mapping the water loss and suggested preventive steps.

While the project was undertaken in the last week of December, the students and the teacher recently submitted a report based on the project to the schools administration. “Whenever the subject of using water judiciously was discussed in the class, the students kept pointing towards the water loss from taps in the school and often asked why it was not being curbed. This led to the project,” Chudekar said.

The students divided themselves in small groups and first mapped the number of leaking taps, and then measured the quantity of water loss. “Of the 18 taps on the ground floor of the premises, we found 14 were leaking. While the water loss was in drops at a few taps, from many others there was a constant trickle,” Noorjahan Majid, one of the students, said.

Excerpt from Mumbai Mirror, reported by Nazia Sayed on December 31, 2009 , Read Full Article

The Shivaji Nagar and Deonar police, who have together registered the maximum number of cases against the water mafia in the city, have themselves come under the scanner for alleged water-related offences.
It has been found that both these police stations have set up booster pumps in their premises to enhance water supply. What’s more, the water connection to these two police stations is itself questionable.

The booster pump (circled and right) seen in the premises of the Shivaji Nagar Police Station

Since November, the Deonar police seized 17 booster pumps and arrested 22 people for illegal water theft, while the Shivaji Nagar police confiscated 164 booster pumps and arrested 104 people.

Excerpt from Mumbai Mirror, reported by Nazia Sayed and Geeta Desai on December 29, 2009 : Read Full Article

Woman drawing water from an illegal well in Mankhurd

The polio-causing virus passes from infected faecal matter, contaminates ground water and finds its way into humans though the mouth.

Driven by sheer desperation caused by an unprecedented water crisis, residents in Shivajinagar, Deonar, Trombay and Mankhurd, have resorted to digging illegal wells in their own backyard and drinking poisonous water — almost 70 per cent of which is contaminated with the deadly enterovirus which causes polio.
Not only that, WHO tests carried out on the samples from these wells, have revealed the presence of other crippling viruses too — hepatitis and cholera to name two.

Consuming this deadly cocktail every day makes the people vulnerable to a number of diseases, but none as grave as polio, which has technically no cure, and to eradicate which the government has spent nearly Rs 26 billion till date.

As reported in Mumbaimirror.com  By Virat A Singh On Friday, December 25, 2009

BMC supplies several homes with just 20 minutes of water a day, but has failed to plug a leak in a Govandi pipeline for six whole months ….

While the city is facing a severe water cruncho with several homes getting supply from the civic body for as little as 20 minutes per day, it is a shame that every day several gallons of clean water are being wasted as a leak in a water pipeline in Govandi hasn’t been plugged. This has continued for six months, despite complaints from local residents.

Residents say water leaks every day between 4 am to 9 am near Shatabdi Hospital, from the pipeline that has been laid on W T Patil Marg.

The locals, whose taps at home are dry, are livid at the state of affairs. “The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) talks about fining people who use booster pumps to augment their water supply and threatens action against those who waste water. Who will take responsibility for the massive amount of drinking water that is being wasted here daily?” asks K John Augustine, 58, who stays in Assisi Nagar.

Residents say they have made several complaints to the ward office and called emergency helpline numbers. Councillor Shashikant Patil says, “We raise this issue during every ward office meeting… but the administration has done nothing. BMC should take punitive action against officials from the water department who delay repairs of leakage.”

Though local residents such as K John Augustine (below) get almost no water in their homes, drinking water leaks from the pipeline every day for five hours. It is used by autorickshaw and cab drivers to wash their vehicles

Assistant Municipal Commissioner of M-East Ward Satish Mehta confirmed the complaints and said he had visited the site. Arun Kadam, assistant engineer in the water department said, “The problem is that the existing water main line has been laid near the surface.

Therefore, the weight of vehicles ruptures the pipes despite repairs.” He added that the water department has proposed that the pipe be diverted from its present location and assured that the leak will be plugged soon.

However, councillor from M-West ward, Mangala Kate, whose office is close to the leaking pipe, asked, “If they have a solution, why hasn’t the pipe been repaired for the last six months.”

Meanwhile, the civic water department has dug up a pit at the spot and has barricaded the place. Local taxi and auto rickshaw drivers use water from the pool to wash their vehicles.

As reported in TOI  by V Narayan, on 20 December 2009

The police on Friday raided a house at Mandala in Mankhurd and arrested the leader of a Congress women’s wing, who is also an Ekta Mahila Mandala member, for allegedly storing and selling water illegally.

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided Takimmunnisa Khan’s house and seized water stored in 70 drums (each of 35 l). An electric pump was also seized that Khan had connected to the main BMC line to draw water illegally. She has been selling 20 l of water for Rs 5, while a 35-l can, popularly called “Puga”, is sold for Rs 15 to Rs 20,” the police said.

An officer from Mankhurd police station said Khan ran this “buisness” for the past several years. “Earlier, she managed to escape the raids on several occasions. Many a times the mafias escape as they are often hand in glove with the BMC officials,” the officer said. Khan has been booked under sections 379 (theft) and 430 (wrongfully diverting water) of the IPC and is also charged of damaging public property.

The squad was formed on November 18 to nab water thieves after the zonal DCP learnt that despite the continous raids in Shivaji Nagar, Mankhurd, Deonar and Govandi over the past three weeks and registering 19 FIRs, water pilferage continued. In fact, more than 400 pipes were disconnected and over 300 electric motor pumps seized in that period.

“According to rough BMC estimates, around 700 million l of water is lost in a day to pilferage, illegal connections or leaks. After an FIR is filed, if a person (he/she) is still found to have an illegal connection and stealing water, then stern actions will be taken against he/she,” Zone-VI DCP Dilip Sawant told TOI on Saturday.

As reported in www.indianexpress.com by Shweta Desai  on Dec 17, 2009

Well inside a house in Mankhurd Narendra Vaskar

Mumbai’s water crisis, considered the worst in its history, has shown how poorly the city is equipped to cope with the situation. Starting today, a series on how residents are struggling to deal with the crisis and the efforts being made to mitigate it

Ram Jaiswal’s 10×10 room houses not only his ironing shop but also a well. Ten feet deep and covered by a plastic drum, it is his answer to the water crisis plaguing the city. “Water would never have reached us otherwise,” says Jaiswal.

The area, Ekta Nagar slums in Mandala, Mankhurd, is near the creek, and a high-suction motor recharges the groundwater in an hour. The brackish water sustains not only his family of five but also their neighbours, Shehnaz Sheikh’s family of six.

“You needn’t be a scientist to find water here. Dig deep anywhere and you will find it. In 10 minutes at least five cans are filled,” says Jaiswal’s wife Neelam.

As reported in TOI on  16 December 2009

Defaulters be warned. Don’t be surprised if a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official comes knocking on your door demanding that you pay your long overdue water bill. And if you still don’t pay up, don’t be surprised if your tap runs dry. In a move aimed to kill two birds with one stone, the cash-strapped civic body is hoping to recover Rs 741 crore in utility bills and at the same conserve its water reserve by preventing people from wasting the precious liquid.

The civic body is hoping to recover the money from government, semi-government and private organisations that have not been paying their bill over several years. Now, the civic body insists that it will show no mercy. “Not only, will we fill our coffers in times of financial crisis, but we will also deter people from wasting water. A team of officials will be formed at the ward level to see if the dues can be recovered immediately. Those willing to pay up soon will be allowed to do so on an installment basis,” said a senior official from the hydraulic department.

Details procured under the Right To Information (RTI) Act revealed that the H-East ward-comprising Bandra (E), Khar, Santa Cruz E-is the biggest defaulter accounting for 10.7% of the dues with more than Rs 79.3 crore pending. The L ward (Kurla, Chunabhatti, Naupada) follows closely accounting for 9.45% of unpaid water bills. The vast M-East ward-which consists of Chembur, Govandi and Mankhurd-owes the BMC Rs 6.82 crore of unpaid money. Areas like Bhuleshwar, Crawford Market and Marine Drive have the least amount of pending dues.

“We had sent several reminders, but never really got to taking action,” said a civic official. Government organisations, too, are guilty. According to the BMC’s records, Mhada tops the list as it owes Rs 101.66 crore in water bills. Western Railways is second with Rs 57.45 crore of pending utility bills.

As reported in TOI by Sukhada Tatke on 16 December 2009

The BMC may have decided to get tough with defaulters, but it can’t ignore the fact that over 20% of the city’s water supply is lost due to leakage and pilferage. In the backdrop of the water crisis, the civic body is now cracking the whip on illegal water connections that are mainly set up in slums. For the slumdwellers in the eastern suburb of Mankhurd, which holds the record for the maximum number of FIRs and complaints against pilferage, this is the only way to get water.

Across Anna Bhau Sathe Nagar in Mankhurd, hundreds of women queued up outside their homes to fill a few buckets of water that will keep them going for the day. What’s surprising though, is that many aren’t aware that the connection is illegal, say social workers.

Residents have paid hefty amounts to the water “dalaals” or agents for their connection. “Each of us has paid Rs 5,000 to avail of these connections. Despite that, we have to struggle to get clean water. The pipeline runs along with the sewer passageway, and often, it enters the sewage gutter,” said a resident. Laxmi Waghmare. “Recently, we collectively paid Rs 25,000 to dig holes in the ground, so we can draw water from there.”

In December alone, the BMC filed eight FIRs against the residents at the nearby Shivaji Nagar police station. Another four FIRs for theft of water by fixing booster pumps in the vicinity were registered with the Deonar police station. (Mankhurd falls under both precincts.)

For the slum dwellers this is the only way they can get water. “We have paid money, but we get only 15 minutes of supply every day. Even if we are able to fill five vessels, we can survive the day,” said 45-year old resident Prema Kamble. With the BMC tightening its grip over illegal connections, the pipelines have been hidden lest they be seized. Simpreet Singh of the National Alliance of People’s Movement blames the water mafia for the pilferage. “At election time, promises are made that slums will get water, but nothing comes out of it,” said Singh.

“The BMC has cut 570 illegal water connections in Govandi and Mankhurd,” Anil Diggikar, additional municipal commissioner, said. “The next target will be Kurla. There are also many illegal water connections in Kurla, which will be cut.” The civic body is also planning to impose the Maharashtra Prohibition of Disruptive Activities (MPDA) Act on people caught stealing water. “The home department has already directed the civic body to book water thieves if caught twice while stealing water from the civic water pipes,” Diggikar added.

Mumbaikars beware. The city will experience one of the worst water crises
ever and the western suburbs will be hit first. The densely populated western suburbs, which get water primarily from two lakes, will go without water for one day every week as the lakes will dry up soon…

Excerpt from DNA, reported by Pandurang Mhaske on December 16, 2009: Read Full Article

Excerpt from CG+, reported by Divya Fernandez on 2nd May 2009: Read Full Article

The water scarcity in Chembur has increased in the past three months. About 126 illegal water connections were disconnected during surprise raids conducted by the civic staff at Chembur.  After receiving complaints about water shortage and water theft from civic activists and the public, surprise raids were conducted at Shivaji Nagar and Baiganwadi areas.

There is no water in the taps at Baiganwadi after disconnection

The civic staff of the water department, comprising engineers of M-west, M-east and meter inspectors along with four fitters, 18 labourers conducted the raid. Officials from the hydraulic department admitted that the complaints registered were only a tip of the iceberg. Illegal connections continue to flourish in several pockets across the Eastern suburbs.
Civic officials said that the most number of complaints have stemmed from the eastern suburbs.

The menace is the worst in areas like Shivaji Nagar and Baiganwadi near Mankhurd. Slums and lower middle class localities in this belt face acute water shortage.