NMMC to revive 100 traditional wells as Morbe dam storage falls to 12.73%

“Reviving these traditional wells is part of our precautionary water management strategy. The objective is to preserve treated drinking water for domestic consumption until reservoir levels improve,” NMMC commissioner Kailas Shinde said while reviewing the city’s water situation

Navi Mumbai: With water levels in the Morbe dam falling to a critical 12.73% amid concerns of a delayed monsoon, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has decided to revive 100 traditional open wells across the city to supplement non-potable water availability and conserve treated drinking water.

NMMC to revive 100 traditional wells as Morbe dam storage falls to 12.73%

“Reviving these traditional wells is part of our precautionary water management strategy. The objective is to preserve treated drinking water for domestic consumption until reservoir levels improve,” NMMC commissioner Kailas Shinde said while reviewing the city’s water situation on Monday.

Shinde directed the water supply department to survey all traditional open wells, desilt and clean them, and create rainwater recharge systems.

The NMMC is one of the few municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region which owns its drinking water source. The Morbe dam, with a total storage capacity of 190.89 million cubic metres (MCM), supplies 447.88 million litres per day (MLD) to Navi Mumbai, MIDC areas and parts of Kamothe and Kharghar under the Panvel Municipal Corporation.

According to officials, the Morbe dam currently holds only 24.28 MCM of usable water, which will last till August 5 if the catchment does not receive substantial rainfall. A 10% water cut imposed by the NMMC on May 25 continues to remain in force.

During Monday’s meeting, Shinde directed officials to work with housing societies and local representatives to encourage the use of well water for washing clothes and utensils, road cleaning, sanitation, gardening, and in public parks and construction activities, thereby reducing pressure on the city’s potable water supply.

Additional city engineer Arvind Shinde has directed engineers across all ward offices to expedite the restoration work.

“Traditional open wells are different from borewells because they already contain groundwater. Years of neglect, however, have left many of them filled with silt and debris,” he said.