Alert Mumbaikars! BMC to Cut 5-10% Mumbai Water Today Due To Vaitarna Pipeline Valve Breakdown

Mumbai: Residents of Mumbai's 26 wards are set to face 5%-10% water cuts for 48 hours between October 17 and October 18, announced the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday.

The civic authorities stated that the water cut is necessary following a malfunction of a 900 mm valve connected to one of the main water supply pipelines. This pipeline is part of the Vaitarna water network, which transports water from the Vaitarna dam to the Bhandup Filtration Plant, the source from which water is distributed to localities across Mumbai.

“Consequently, there has been a reduction in the water supply to the Bhandup Water Treatment Plant, which supplies water to the entire Mumbai. As a result, a water cut ranging between 5% and 10% will be imposed across the city and suburbs between October 17 and 18,” the BMC said in a statement. Officials emphasized that to facilitate the repair work for the malfunction, full-scale supply needs to be stopped to prevent any loss of water.

“The repair works are expected to take 48 hours, therefore citizens are requested to use water cautiously,” the BMC added.

The breakdown in the 900 mm valve of the Vaitarna water pipeline system at Tarali in Thane district has necessitated these water cuts. This disruption has caused a 5% to 10% reduction in water supply to the Bhandup Water Treatment Plant, prompting the BMC to implement the cuts starting from the morning of October 17 to October 18.

The daily water supply to Mumbai primarily comes from the Vaitarna Dam. The malfunction in the pipeline at Tarali, which carries water from the dam, requires immediate repairs by the hydraulic engineering department, leading to a partial shutdown of the water conveyance system.

The BMC has urged citizens to store sufficient water and use it judiciously during this period. Fortunately, after a substantial amount of rainfall this monsoon season, the water levels in seven reservoirs supplying drinking water to Mumbai have surpassed 97%. As of October 17, these reservoirs hold a total of 1,409,761 million liters of water, compared to 96.02% on the same day last year.

The seven dams supplying water to Mumbai include Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Tansa, Bhatsa, Tulsi, Vihar, and Modak Sagar.