Thane Municipal Corporation is gearing up for a significant expansion of its water supply system to accommodate the expected surge in urbanization over the next 30 years
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Thane Municipal Corporation is gearing up for a significant expansion of its water supply system to accommodate the expected surge in urbanization over the next 30 years. Commissioner Abhijit Bangar has unveiled a comprehensive plan to ensure Thane City's growing population continues to have access to an abundant and consistent water supply.
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Currently, the city of Thane, with a population of approximately 27 lakh residents, receives a total of 585 million liters of water daily from various sources. This includes 250 million liters from the Municipal Corporation's own water supply scheme, 135 million liters from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Stem Water Distribution and Infra Co. Prof. Ltd., 115 million liters from D.L. Ltd., and 85 million liters from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
To tackle the impending water supply challenges brought about by urbanization, Thane Municipal Administration has initiated discussions with the Water Resources Department of the Government of Maharashtra, an official press release said on Thursday. The aim is to secure water reservations from various dams to ensure the city's water needs are met for the next three decades.
The Thane Municipal Corporation is also actively engaged in remodeling and upgrading the water supply system across the municipal area, the release said. Additionally, under the Amrit 2.0 scheme of the Central Government, they have received approval for essential projects involving water conveyance, water channel installation for distribution, and the construction of water reservoirs, sump pump houses, and electric pumps.
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One of the challenges the city faces is regular shutdowns for maintenance work when receiving water from different authorities, which can disrupt the water supply for up to three days. Commissioner Bangar emphasized the importance of proactively planning for both short-term and long-term increased water supply.
In a recent meeting led by Chief Minister Eknathji Shinde addressing Thane City's water issues, instructions were given to allocate a quota of water from the Barvi Dam to the Municipal Corporation, the release further said. It was proposed to increase the reservoir's capacity to 100 million liters to meet the city's growing needs. This request has been forwarded to the Water Resources Department. Presently, 250 million liters of water are sourced from the Bhatsa Dam through the Thane Municipal Corporation's scheme. Plans to increase this quota by an additional 50 million liters have been initiated.
Furthermore, an additional 218 million liters of water supply from the Surya Dam to the Mirabhainder Municipal Corporation will lead to extra water allocation for Thane City. It is expected that 50 million liters of water will be available through the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and 50 million liters from STEM out of this additional quota. The construction of the Deharji Dam at Vikramgad Taluka in district Palghar will provide 200 million liters of daily water supply, and the Water Resources Department has been contacted for this purpose.
Thane Municipal Corporation's current daily quota stands at 616 million liters. To cater to the projected population growth until 2055, a significant increase to 1116 million liters per day is anticipated. This necessitates the availability of 400 million liters per day from the future Kalu Dam, and approval requests for this allocation have been submitted to the Metropolitan Commissioner MMRDA and the Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department.
In addition to the Kalu Dam, plans are in motion to reserve 100 million liters of water from the upcoming Mumri Dam at Shahapur, overseen by the Water Resources Department.
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