Mumbai: Taps run dry in posh Goregaon east colony

Residents of Royal Palms Estate in Goregaon are among the first to be affected by the implementation of a central government guideline on water tankers Nearly 15000 residents have been living without water for the past four days as the Mumbai Water Tanker Association has stopped its services The residents of around 38 societies are now left to fend for themselves in the absence of water and are being forced to either pack and leave to stay with relatives or friends or to spend a lot of money to buy water food as well as disposable utensils Many even said they are urinating outside as there is no water to flush toiletsKamal Gadhave who resides in Royal PalmsI has been buying mineral water every day to wash dishesMembers of the Mumbai Water Tanker Association told midday that the authorities have implemented a Central government guideline that was passed in September 2020 ldquoWe have been asked to strictly follow the guidelines laid out by the Central Ground Water Authority But the guidelines are such that we cannot run our business if we follow itrdquo said Rajesh Thakur secretary of the associationAlso read Mumbai lsquoStoppage of water tankers could cripple cityrsquoThe guidelinesAs per the rules all users who abstract ground water and use it to supply water in bulk through private tankers will now mandatorily have to seek noobjection certificate NOC for ground water abstraction These NOCs will be valid for 2 years ldquoThe officials want us to pay in advance to seek NOC But there are users who have paid in advance but the licence is yet to be issued So how will we carry out businessrdquo said Jeetu Bhai Shah vicepresident of Mumbai Water Tanker AssociationResidents of Royal PalmsI hold a meeting outside the building on SundayHe said ldquoThe users who are abstracting groundwater and using it for bulk water supplies need to submit documents with an application including proof of ownership of land measuring 200 sq metre or more on which abstraction structure is installed as well as proof of ownershiplease of tanker and groundwater quality report How can one have 200sq m land in a spacecrunched city like Mumbai to extract waterrdquoldquoBesides this we have also been asked to use lsquopotable waterrsquo label on all tankers fit abstraction structures with tamperproof digital water flow meters with telemetry These flow meters are to be calibrated by an authorised agency once a year The guidelines also stipulate that the water shall be used for drinking or domestic purposes only and that the tankers can be filled only within the premisesrdquo he addedRosalyn Nadar a resident shows the condition of her kitchenShah said ldquoIf we donrsquot follow the guidelines we will be booked under Sections 379 punishment for theft 426 punishment for mischief 430 mischief by injury to works of irrigation or by wrongfully diverting water of the Indian Penal Code as well as certain provisions of the Maharashtra Groundwater Act 2009rdquoImplementationIn a bid to enforce implementation of the guidelines Mumbai Commissioner of Police Vivek Phansalkar on February 3 ordered all police stations to check whether the tanker association was abiding by the order midday has learnt that the cops from Mahim Shivaji Park and other police stations held a meeting with the tanker association on February 6 and informed them about the orderAround 15000 residents living in 38 societies in Royal Palms have been facing a severe water crisis as tankers have stopped supplying waterThe tanker association sought a dayrsquos time and held an internal meeting wherein it was decided to stop their services forcing thousands of residential as well as commercial buildings to face severe water crisisNot a drop of watermidday spoke to the residents of Royal Palms who are facing the brunt Kiran Paigankar a local on Sunday said ldquoWe donrsquot even know what is wrong but we have not had any water since February 9 Today is the fourth day that we didnrsquot get a single drop of water We have been purchasing water bottles and jars from the market which is costing us a bombrdquoldquoThere are 38 societies in Royal Palms where nearly 15000 residents live Most of the buildings do not have BMC water connection Even the buildings that have BMC connection are not getting adequate waterrdquo said Asirvad Pareek another residentResidents of Royal PalmsI show a water filter thatrsquos been lying unusedAnother resident Bipin Chaudhary said ldquoWe have been paying house tax for everything but BMC officials have failed to give us water connection forcing us to resort to water tankers But now even tankers are not supplying waterrdquoMohanlal Chhatwani a senior citizen said ldquoI have been staying in Royal Palms since April 2005 and we have been facing water crisis since then We were fully dependent on water tankers but now they have stopped their services toordquoIn the absence of water women are facing hygiene issues A 23yearold woman said ldquoMany of us have not taken a bath in days due to the water crisis It is even worse for those who are on their periods as we need a lot of water during that timerdquoTaranbir Singh Kohli a senior citizen who suffers from diabetes said ldquoDue to my health condition I need to use the washroom frequently But as there is no water we cannot clean the toilet These days I have to run to nearby bushes to relieve myselfrdquoHis wife Ravjit Singh Kohli told midday ldquoMy kitchen is in a messy condition and the toilet is soiled as there is no water to wash the dishes and clean the toilet Water is an essential commodity but the civic body is depriving us of it We have stopped cooking at home and have been using disposable plates spoons and glasses to eat food which we are being forced to order from outsiderdquo Fed up with the situation the couple left for a relativersquos place in Santacruz on SundayThe situation was the same at the residence of 46yearold Samit Salian He has sent his wife and threeyearold daughter to live with his inlaws in Bhandup ldquoI had no option but to send them to my inlaws as I donrsquot know when this problem is going to be resolved I can survive without taking a bath I can purchase water bottles to wash my face and hands with but one needs plenty of water if there is a child at homerdquo9Day in Feb when tankers stopped supplying water