Water cuts, dam drying up add to Panvel residents’ summer woes

The Dehrang dam, which supplies water to the Indian city of Panvel, is expected to dry up by the first week of June, exacerbating existing water shortages. The Panvel municipal corporation, which has already implemented one-day water cuts every week, sources 18 to 20 mld from MJP and 5 mld from MIDC and the rest from the Dehrang dam. The region requires around 32 mld of water each day. Residents have complained that the water cuts are longer and more irregular than expected, with some areas benefitting from political connections. The population of Panvel is increasing rapidly, further exacerbating demand for water.

Panvel: Already reeling under water cuts for months, Panvel residents could be in for further suffering this summer as the Dehrang dam that supplies water to the region is expected to dry up by the first week of June. Meanwhile, the other sources of water to Panvel are irregular.

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“The situation in our area is going from bad to worse. There is a lot of development taking place and hence the population is increasing which is resulting in increased demand for water,” said Arjun Sawant, secretary of Sai Nagar Society in Panvel.

“We have held meetings and given letters to PMC officials. However, over the years, they have only given assurances and other promises,” he said, adding that most of the pipelines in the region have rusted.

Earlier, Panvel municipal corporation (PMC) had announced a one-day water cut every week in the region in December last year. They had said that it was a precautionary measure that will be in place till the start of the monsoon.

Atul Jaitpal, treasurer of Disha Society, a residential complex in Panvel, claimed that at times they do not receive water for two to three days at a stretch.

“The one-day water cut every week is such a joke. Even when there is water supply, it is for a limited period and most of the time, the pressure is very low,” he added. “We have observed that in some areas where there are powerful former corporators or political connections, the situation is not that bad. For the rest of us, the situation is bad.”

The daily requirement of water in Panvel is around 32 mld (megalitres per day). PMC sources water from MJP and MIDC and the rest from the Dehrang dam.

“PMC sources 18 to 20 mld from MJP and 5 mld from MIDC. The rest is sourced from Dehrang. Since there is a one-day-a-week water cut now, we have to supply only around 25 to 26 mld of water daily against the regular requirement of 32 mld. Hence, little is sourced from the dam,” PMC deputy engineer (water) Vilas Chavan said.

Commenting on the reason for water cuts being of longer period and irregular, he said that there are regular shutdowns by MJP and MIDC and whenever there is a shutdown, it affects the water supply for a week.”

“If there is an electric failure for a couple of days, it affects the water supply for more than five hours. Just a couple of days back, the MJP transformer broke down leading to no electric power,” said Chavan. “We are doing our best to ensure the residents do not have to suffer. There are no plans for any further water cuts now.”

Residents, however, have alleged that the official talks are never fruitful and the civic body in Panvel has always come up with excuses.

The municipal commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh said that not just Panvel but also the nodal areas under its jurisdiction will have regular water supply without any cut in a couple of years.

According to Deshmukh, “Around ₹106 crore have been allocated for water supply management and ₹131 crore under the government’s Amrut and Swachch Bharat scheme have been allocated in the annual PMC budget.”

As per the municipal commissioner, there is a demand-supply gap in water in the region. While the demand for water stands at 267 mld, the PMC can only supply 217 mld of water.

“For the 50 mld requirement, we have already paid ₹170 cr to MJP under Amrut Yojana. From the Nhava Sheva phase II project, we will get an additional 100 mld of water which will take care of the next 20 years’ requirement. We are also looking at an alternate source from Bhira dam for increased population,” said Deshmukh.