Residents of Royal Palms in Goregaon, who depend entirely on private water tankers for their daily water needs, were left scrambling on Thursday as a sudden tanker strike disrupted supply. Appeals for help to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) P South ward were turned down, with officials citing a limited number of municipal tankers and an inability to meet additional demand. Royal Palms consists of 48 buildings and has population of 50,000-60,000 people.

Sharing their struggle for water, Sandip Gadhave, a resident of one of the buildings in Royal Palms, said, “We have been living here for many years and the majority of residents rely on private water tankers. Since the tanker owners have gone on strike, we wrote a letter to the BMC P South Ward office requesting a municipal tanker. The ward officer informed us that they cannot supply a BMC tanker as there is only one for the entire P South Ward, which includes all of Goregaon East and West.”