Mumbai is emptying groundwater reservoirs to quench its thirst

As Mumbai waits for the monsoon, water supply in the city has been cut by 10% since May 15, after water levels in the seven lakes that supply water, have fallen. The lakes depend entirely on seasonal rainfall to be filled, commonly causing water cuts in the summers.

Adding to this situation, on June 7, the Mumbai Water Tanker Association went on strike. The strike was called off two days later following an intervention by Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Mumbai receives around 4,100 million litres per day against an estimated demand of 4,665 MLD, leaving a shortfall of about 565 MLD. Private water tankers fill this gap.

The tanker association was protesting against notices issued by the state government ordering ring-well and borewell operators to stop supplying water to tankers until they obtain fresh licenses from the Central Ground Water Authority.

The tanker association protest has drawn attention to a larger issue: Mumbai’s heavy dependence on groundwater and the limited oversight of its extraction.

“Mumbai has more than 17,364 wells used for the commercial sale of water,” says groundwater activist Suresh Kumar Dhoka, citing information obtained through an RTI application.

In 2015, the National Green Tribunal made it mandatory for all commercial groundwater users to obtain No Objection Certificates from the Central Ground Water Authority....

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