Taps run dry at girl’s hostel, as tanker crisis hits Mumbai University’s Kalina campus

Students outside the girl’s hostel at Kalina campus of MU

The central government's guidelines, enforced recently, have made lives difficult for 75 students living at the girl's hostel of Mumbai University's Kalina campus. They were already struggling in the absence of a water connection, and now the tanker association's move to shut operations has hit them hard.

The Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) shut down operations after the new order, on February 9.

The students of the girl's hostel were relying on water tankers arranged by the MU, and with the tanker crises their supply stopped for a couple of days. "The water supply through tankers was not regular on most days. After operations were shut, we got a tanker with 10,000 litres of water on Saturday, which lasted until Monday morning. Since February 9, we have been buying water online, paying from our pockets. Nobody from the university has even visited us or inquired about how we are managing," said a student.

Later on Monday, Yuva Sena senate members arranged a tanker with the help of the BMC, said students.

Yuva Sena senate members called a BMC tanker on Monday, after students ran out of water

"The situation was so bad that we had to go to other hostels and buildings on the campus to use the toilet. On Monday, Yuva Sena senate members visited us and gave us bottles of water," another student said.

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"The hostel administration has sent a message on our WhatsApp group, asking us to leave the hostel until the tanker crisis ends. However, there are students from Delhi, Assam and Punjab in the hostel and not everyone has a guardian in the city. Do they expect us to go back to our hometowns?" she asked.

mid-day on September 13, 2022, highlighted how the hostel buildings were not opened because there was no water connection. The MU administration finally started calling water tankers in October.

"They have since maintained that students are receiving water, while relying on tankers. Now, the tankers have stopped. These students will endure hardships until the crisis is over. This situation would not have existed if the university had a BMC water connection," said Pradeep Sawant, former senate member from Yuva Sena.

"With the help of former mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, we have submitted a request to the H East ward office for water connection to the hostel. An arrangement for one tanker was made and the girls were given bottles of mineral water, too," Sawant added.

"We understand the students' situation. We are trying to supply them with water from nearby buildings. The process is underway to soon get a water connection," said an official from the Mumbai University.

The 1,700 private tanker owners in the city supply water to where the BMC connection is missing or not working.

75
No. of girls living in the Kalina hostel

9 Feb
Day tanker owners shut down operations