20 July,2016 08:21 AM IST | | Sanjeev Shivadekar
The administration will tell civic standing committee that Mumbai's lakes have enough water to see us through the next six months; decision on when 100% water supply will resume to be taken today
For all the trouble the incessant rains have caused Mumbai, it is this downpour that will soon deliver us from the nightmare of water cuts.
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On Tuesday, Tulsi one of the lakes supplying water to the city started overflowing. File pic
Today, the BMC will announce its plans to withdraw the 20 % water cut that it had imposed nearly a year ago, last August.
However, the date on which the water cut will be rolled back is yet to be decided and will depend on the rainfall in catchment areas over the next few days.
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Additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee confirmed the plan to roll back the water cut, but declined to reveal the date on which the decision will be implemented.
"The statement on the administration's decision to roll back the water cut will be made before the standing committee meeting to be held on Wednesday," he said.
Last year, the corporation had announced cuts because of low water levels in the seven lakes that supply water to the city. This year, however, the initial spell of monsoon has already been enough to bring the water level to over 50% of the annual requirement (see figures).
To put it in simple terms, there is now enough water to tide us over the next six months. In fact, Lake Tulsi started overflowing yesterday. Last year, the lake started overflowing only at the fag end of September. However, Tulsi is merely the smallest of lakes supplying water to the city. The authorities are waiting for the larger ones, including the largest - Bhatsa - to collect more water.
A senior official attached to the hydraulic department stated that they would withdraw the water cut after 10 to 15 days, as the administration would first like the water level in the lakes to pass beyond 60% of the city's total requirement.
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Standing committee chairman and Shiv Sena corporator, Yashodhar Phanse, said, "We have urged administration to roll back the water cut and immediately provide relief to Mumbai citizens."
Not to be left behind on the opportunity to encash good news for citizens, especially with civic elections scheduled early next year, BJP's Manoj Kotak, Sandeep Deshpande of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Rais Saikh of the Samajwadi Party too have asked the administration to enhance water supply to city as water levels in lakes have improved in past one month.
