Fire at BMC's Pise water pumping station likely to disrupt water supply today in Mumbai, east suburbs

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A fire broke out at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Pise Water Pumping Station Monday evening, leading to a significant impact on water supply across several parts of Mumbai.

The incident has particularly affected the eastern part of the eastern suburbs, along with the water supply from Golanji, Fosbery, Raoli, and Bhandarwada reservoirs in the city. As a result, residents in these areas are likely to experience a complete halt in water supply for the next 24 hours, an official of BMC said.

Furthermore, the water supply pressure in the western suburbs and other parts of Mumbai may also witness disruptions due to the incident, the official said. Reports said that the incident will also cause water supply disruptions to major civic hospitals - Sion, KEM, Tata Memorial, Wadia, and JJ Hospital.

The BMC administration has urged citizens to cooperate and utilize water resources judiciously during this challenging period. The prompt cooperation of residents is essential to mitigate the impact of the disruption and ensure that essential water services can be restored as swiftly as possible.

"Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has a water harvesting centre at Pise. The electricity supply to the entire project was interrupted due to a fire in the number
two transformer here this evening. As a result, all the pumps are stopped," the BMC said.

"After the fire is brought under control at the spot, the plant will be repaired and the water supply will be restored as soon as possible. Therefore, the citizens of the concerned area are requested to use water sparingly and cooperate with the municipal administration," the civic body added.

In south Mumbai, taps will run dry in wards A (Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, Churchgate, Fort), B (Dongri, Umarkhadi) and E (Mazgaon, Nagpada, Byculla); which receive water from Bhandarwada reservoir.

In eastern suburbs, wards T (Mulund), S (eastern parts of Nahur, Bhandup and Vikhroli), N (Ghatkopar, Sarvodaya Nagar, Narayan Nagar), entire M-East (Deonar, Anushakti Nagar, Govandi, Mankhurd), M-West (Chembur Tilaknagar), F-South (Parel, Sewri, Naigaum), and F-North (Matunga, Sion, Dharavi) will face 100 per cent water cut, said BMC.

The rest of Mumbai, including parts of western suburbs, will face a 30 per cent water cut and low pressure supply.

Efforts are underway to address the situation and restore normalcy to the water supply system in the affected areas. However, until such measures are successfully implemented, residents are encouraged to conserve water and exercise caution in its usage.

Meanwhile, a fire erupted in a high-rise residential building housing staffers of a Maharashtra government-run hospital in south Mumbai on Monday night, an official said. No injuries were reported in the blaze, whose cause was not immediately known, he said.

According to the official, the fire broke out in a flat on the 14th floor of the staff quarters building of GT Hospital located close to Mumbai Police Commissionerate at around 8.45 pm. Besides fire fighters, as many as four fire engines and other vehicles were engaged in dousing the flames, he said.

In a separate incident, fire broke out in a two-storey commercial centre situated in Santacruz suburb of Mumbai on Monday evening and 37 people were rescued, civic officials said.

The rescue operation was carried out by Fire Brigade personnel on the second floor and the terrace of Options Commercial Centre, located near the Milan subway, via the staircase. "Nobody is injured in the fire which broke out at around 5:15 pm," an official said, adding that the blaze was confined to electric wiring and installations on the second floor. (With inputs from agencies)