Mumbai: 10% water remaining in reservoirs, says municipal body

The municipal corporation in Mumbai on Tuesday announced additional measures to conserve water, saying that only 10.3% reserves were remaining in the reservoirs that supply water to the city.

The new curbs on non-essential use of water will include a 20% reduction in supply for industrial units, commercial establishments and sports clubs, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.

Water connections to swimming pools and for construction activities will be temporarily disconnected, the civic body said.

The new restrictions will take effect on Wednesday.

The municipal corporation urged citizens to use borewell water or that drawn from wells for washing vehicles, watering gardens and parks, and cleaning roads and public areas.

New water connections for construction projects will be suspended until further notice, it added.

The municipal corporation also urged the railways, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers company located in the Chembur area, petroleum companies, the Indian Navy, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and the port authorities to reuse treated water from the Colaba and other sewage treatment plants for operational purposes.

The civic body had already implemented precautionary measures to conserve water citing delayed southwest monsoon caused by the El Niño effect and the declining levels in the reservoirs supplying Mumbai. The curbs included a 10% cut in supply since May 15.

El Niño weather phenomenon, which involves the warming...

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