The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims that non-revenue water (NRW), which refers to water losses, has decreased from 38 per cent to 34 per cent over the past two years. However, this still equates to losing the equivalent of four months’ worth of water supply. Ideally, the loss rate should not exceed 15 per cent of the total supply.

NRW encompasses water that is supplied but not paid for, including losses from leakage, unbilled water, illegal connections, faulty water meters, and inaccurate readings. Of the 3,950 million litres of water received daily, 1,500 million litres were lost—a significant amount.