Mumbai taps go dry as water treatment plant gets flooded

Officials have advised citizens to drink boiled water for the time being

As torrential downpours lashed the city in the early hours of Sunday, it had an unusual fallout: disruption in water supply. Sources said it is unlikely to be fully restored even by Monday.

Officials said rainwater gushed into the water treatment complex, triggering a mechanical failure. As a precautionary measure, the power supply to the facility had to be stopped temporarily, they said. This is not the first time the plant was inundated but it was never to this extent where the supply in the entire city was affected.

The corporation engaged workers on Sunday to remove the rainwater and clean the filtration and pumping system. Efforts are being made at the battle level to carry out repairs and restore the water supply, said a top BMC official. In the afternoon, authorities restarted three to four pumps. However, it may take longer for the filtration system to recover, said officials.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ajay Rathore said, "We are making efforts to restore the water supply, we have even started supply through a few pumps. But which areas get the water and which don't is yet to be identified as we are focusing on starting the pumps at the earliest. There are chances water supply might not be restored completely even on Monday so citizens should use water judiciously and boil the water before drinking."

With no water, scores of people living in slums and ground-floor homes in flooded areas had a tough time clearing the mud after the water receded. While many families used up their stocked water to clean their homes, affected families had to rush to stores to get bottled water to survive the full day.

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