After water cuts, BMC now wants Mumbaikars to save water

After imposing a 20 pc water cut, civic body is going to spread its 'save water' message through Short Message Service (SMS) and maybe, revive an earlier ad campaign featuring Sachin Tendulkar

Although Mumbaikars got a chance to rejoice when the city received some rainfall on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) announcement of a water cut was a dampener. The civic body has now issued directives to their water department officials from all ward offices to give all pipeline leakage complaints top priority and ensure the complaint is resolved within 24 hours. They have also instructed their control room to pass the complaints immediately to the concerned ward officials.

Also read: BMC imposes 20 pc water cut on waterlogged Mumbai

Don’t let those taps drip, says BMC

As part of their campaign to spread awareness among citizens to conserve water, the BMC has compiled a list of 1.35 lakh mobile numbers to send their ‘save water’ awareness message. They are also considering reviving the Sachin Tendulkar commercial that was shot in 2009, which shows the cricketer advocating the cause of conserving water.

Although the city did witness a good amount of rainfall after a slack period, the catchment areas located outside the city limits are yet to receive their fill. At present, the city’s seven lakes have just about one lakh million litres of water — enough to last only 25 days. Last year, it was about five times more than the current reserve of water.

To tackle the water crisis situation, the municipal corporation has already imposed a 20 per cent water cut from Wednesday midnight, which, according to the civic body would help stretch the water supply to more than 25 days. They will also keep a close watch on the lake levels and review the overall situation.

The ward offices and the water department have been asked to prepare a complete report on the status of the existing wells and tubewells in the city, which would help tackle the crisis situation, as this water can then be used as an option for non-drinking water purposes.

Ramesh Bambale, hydraulic engineer, BMC told sunday mid-day, “If possible, we will consider reviving the earlier advertisement featuring Sachin Tendulkar, in order to spread the message of conserving water. We have also planned awareness lectures in 100 schools with the help of Marathi Vidnyan Parishad, a government institute. This awareness would be through students.”

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