Mumbai water cut: Ambawadi locals try to save every precious drop

Ambawadi in Dahisar East, which is reeling under the water cut imposed by the BMC. Pic/Nimesh Dave

The 15 per cent water cut imposed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai has not only affected those residing in buildings but also chawl and slum dwellers. To gauge the situation on the ground and gain an understanding of problems faced by families staying in slum pockets, mid-day visited Ambawadi in Dahisar East and interacted with locals.

Heena Jasmine Rathod, a resident of Dhani Shankar Pandey Chawl, said, "On normal days, we get water from 4 am to 7 am but due to the water cut, water is supplied from 4.30 am to 6.30 am. The pressure is very low so it takes time to fill our containers and the water is yellowish. I have stored water in buckets and utensils just in case water isn't supplied for a day or two."

Saroj Pandey, a resident of Asta Pandey Chawl, said, "There are six members in my family, including small kids, so you can understand we need more water than others. On normal days, whatever we store is depleted. Nowadays, we aren't getting enough water due to cuts. Now, I am storing water because you never know. Even if the water supply is halted for a single day, it will be difficult to carry out daily chores."

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Shantaben Shah, a resident of Bhavani Chowk, said, "The water pressure is too low and it is being supplied for a limited time for the past few days. I heard the pipeline is being repaired and it will take a month. I urge the BMC to complete the repair work at the earliest or else slums will face problems as we don't have big tanks to store water and are using large and small vessels instead."

Aarey Milk Colony also hit

Slum pockets in Aarey Milk Colony, where locals are dependent on BMC water, were also coping with the limited supply of water.

Priti Dubey, a resident of Agripada Unit No. 7, said, "We had been getting less water from 8 am to 11 am. After the water cut was announced, we have been facing problems. We are ensuring that all the buckets and pots and the storage tank are filled. We are also making sure that not even a glass of water is wasted. We have been buying 20-litre containers of drinking water every day as we don't have any other option."