Naseer Ahmed, a Byculla resident said, “It was a tough day for us due to the water cut. We had to rely on water tankers to procure water. Even water tanker operators took advantage of the situation and started charging exorbitant prices from us.”
Mangal Prabhat Lodha, MLA from Malabar Hill constituency in south Mumbai agreed that water cut has certainly caused inconvenience for residents of those areas where it has been imposed. He said, “Though I am unaware about the detailed technicalities of the work but I think it is preferable to complete major tasks within a single day. Normal services will be restored after the work and people won’t face hardships thereafter.”
An official from the BMC’s hydraulic department spoke to AV on the condition of anonymity and said it is difficult to complete the repairing and replacement work in a staggered manner. He said, “I agree that Mumbaikars had to undergo inconvenience due to the water cut. It is not a work of laying pipeline and is concerned with the replacement of the valve. One valve that has gone totally out of order, supplies water to G north area from Mahim to Prabhadevi and further till Grant Road and Colaba. To replace a 1200 mm valve with a new one is a tedious job.”
“The valve has to be lifted and it cannot be done in phases. We had already informed citizens about the water cut in advance to avoid any inconvenience. Eastern suburbs have been spared of water cut and water can be supplied from those areas in case of any emergency. This work will be completed within a single day so citizens won’t face further inconvenience,” he added.
The repair work was carried out on the main water pipeline that runs underground at Mahim Cabin, near the creek where a shaft connects the main pipeline to the zonal supply network. The entire pipeline runs from Marol Maroshi to Mahalaxmi Race Course via Vakola and Ruparel College, with shafts at Maroshi, Vakola, Mahim and Ruparel.
On the other hand, BMC said that it had notified citizens about the water cut well in advance. The civic body had appealed to people to conserve water and make alternative arrangements but many of them turned a blind eye towards it.