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In Vasai-Virar protests yield water once in 8 days
Residents have faced the crisis since the middle of 2020, which has only escalated. The situation has been acute over the past few months. Three years ago, when the pandemic prevented them from staging protests, they took their fight to the respective ward offices
Mumbai: Protests to get a mandated quota of water have become a lifeline for citizens living in the areas governed by the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC). They get water once every eight days. Women from Shri Ram Nagar, in Nalasopara East, often take to the streets or land up at the civic office to demand water for their area.
Residents have faced the crisis since the middle of 2020, which has only escalated. The situation has been acute over the past few months. Three years ago, when the pandemic prevented them from staging protests, they took their fight to the respective ward offices. Now they carry out protests at least thrice every month – the last collective outcry was on April 15 and the civic body relented by granting supply late in the night on April 16.
“Water is gold here,” said Seema Tiwari, a resident of Nalasopara. Residents do not have water tanks, as they live in an informal settlement. They store water in drums and other vessels.
Gamadevi Saroj, another resident from the area, said, “The water timetable is not regularised. We work all day long and the water is released at anywhere between 2 and 3 am.” Kavita Singh’s family has stopped socialising fearing that they might “miss the supply”.
The lacunae has led to political slugfests.
Former corporator Sanjay Dubey, of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), said, “The civic body has not made any plan to serve the growing population.” (VVCMC website shows a population rise from 12.22 lakh in 2011 to 19.85 lakh, in 2022.) Dubey pointed out that in Ward number 67, the eligible voters in 2015 was 3200. In eight years, it has grown to 30,000.
Deepak Bhagat, a local leader from BVA, said, “When there were corporators, we received water every alternate day by a timetable. In the absence of elected representatives, there is no one to listen to us.”
Manoj Barot, BJP’s vice president from Vasai-Virar, alleged that civic officials are “creating a fake scarcity” and has demanded an audit of the supply. “There is enough available for every citizen to receive 80 liters each day. My demand of an audit from the commissioner has been futile. This benefits the tanker mafia,” he said.
Barot alleged committees of housing societies bribe valve-men (chaabiwalas) to release water. “Buildings are forced to pay for the correct water pressure – it’s a well-oiled business,” he said.
Shankar Jha, a resident of Hanuman Nagar explained the modus-operandi of valve-men: “In the past, due to a persisting low pressure, we made several rounds of the corporation’s office, with no respite. A valve-man approached our security guard and asked for money to solve the problem. We called local leaders for help.” Jha added that a valve-man in their area charges between ₹2000- ₹7500 for each building.
On Sunday, local activist Mayuresh Wagh led a morcha in Virar demanding transfer of corrupt valve-men who have been allegedly diverting water to housing societies that pay a fixed amount each month. “They charge upwards of ₹2000. We have demanded their transfer from the area,” alleged Wagh.
VVCMC gets 230MLD water each day. MMRDA is constructing the Surya Regional Water Supply Scheme, which will add another 185MLD. It is expected to start later this year.
HT’s calls and text messages to VVCMC’s commissioner, Anilkumar Pawar, remained unanswered.
