Mumbai: 184 buildings in Bandra to get continuous water supply for 6-8 hours

The WDIP valve being installed in H-West ward. The trial process has begun only in Bandra West as of now

It has been more than four years since the ambitious Water Distribution Improvement Project (WDIP) was launched in Mumbai to ease its water woes. However, the trial process, which began earlier this month only in the H-West ward (Bandra West), has run into some teething troubles. Residents from areas like Chapel Road and Mount Mary are complaining about the low pressure of their water supply, which is not even letting them fill up their tanks properly.

Despite the issues being faced by residents of some areas as of now, civic officials claim the Bandra-Santacruz stretch will receive up to eight hours of continuous water supply by November. As part of the pilot project, work was taken up in H-west (Bandra) and T wards (Mulund) back in June 2014. But the trial process has only just begun in H-west ward. Officials from BMC's hydraulic engineering department said they started the process more than two weeks ago, after fitting 11 pressure regulating valves and two altitude valves.

Asif Zakaria, Congress corporator

Need a couple of months
According to civic officials, 184 buildings in Bandra Reclamation, Chapel Road and VP Road, which were previously receiving water supply for three hours, are now getting it for six to eight hours. "We need a couple of months to complete the stabilisation of the water pressure. Depending on the water supply available, we will try to provide between six and eight hours of continuous water supply in all of H-west ward," said an official from the hydraulic engineering department. They are currently working on buildings in the Mount Mary area.

Tanks are half full
But residents feel like they're not only being put through the trial, but also through some tribulation. They're upset with the water pressure being quite low, and many of the older buildings are not even able to fill their tanks. Crystal D'mello, a resident of Chapel Road, said, "We're not concerned with getting water 24 hours a day if our tanks are not getting filled up. In some buildings, societies don't allow usage of water for more than an hour and it becomes difficult to complete all the daily chores in that time."

Another resident, Mario Fishery, a member of an ALM representing buildings on Chapel Road and Baroda Road, said, "The older buildings, especially those in the gaothan areas, don't have underground tanks. Since the testing phase began, the water pressure is very low and their overhead tanks are not receiving adequate water. This feedback has been sent to the authorities, who are working closely with the residents to help resolve the issues."

Blaming it on BMC
Meanwhile, Congress corporator Asif Zakaria blamed the BMC for not planning the trial process well and said he has received complaints of water shortage from buildings on Station Road, Kadeshwari, Pimpleshwarwadi and other elevated areas in Bandra for the last couple of weeks. "The BMC should have given more information to the public before springing the trial on them. People living in the gaothans are disgruntled as they were caught unawares. Even if BMC provides 24/7 water supply, there is no point of WDIP without pressure," he said. He added that though the project is a good initiative, it has not been executed well, thus putting people off.

The right pressure
Civic officials, however, maintained that they'd warned residents about some fluctuations in the water supply during the testing phase. "We're trying to find the right pressure and are taking feedback from people. The trial process will continue till September 30, and by then, we will try to improve the water supply. Once there is continuous supply, chances of line breakages and water contamination will go down," said the official. Completion of this pilot project will help the rents in the area too, according to real estate agents.

Karim Pradhan, who has been a real estate broker in the Bandra-Santacruz stretch for the last 12 years, said, "In comparison to other areas that don't have water supply for longer than a couple of hours, this will be an advantage. Rent for residential properties can be expected to increase by 10 per cent," he said. Another broker, Shankar Moolya, felt that the rates would go up by 15-20 per cent only for buildings in the elevated areas of Bandra.

2014
Year WDIP work was taken up

184
No. of buildings receiving water for six to eight hours

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