Relief for Panvel residents as DCM ensures increased water supply

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has directed the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran to increase Panvel's water supply by 25 MLD by the end of February.

Panvel: Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) to augment Panvel’s water supply by an additional 25 million litres per day (MLD) by the end of February, providing much-needed relief to the city’s residents. This decision came after Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur advocated for urgent measures to address the acute water shortage in the region.

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During a meeting at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai, attended by top officials from various government bodies, Fadnavis assured that various initiatives would be undertaken to resolve the longstanding water supply issues in Panvel. The meeting included urban development principal secretary Asimkumar Gupta, UD water supply secretary Sanjay Khandare, MIDC CEO Bipin Sharma, MJP member secretary Abhishek Krushna, CIDCO vice chairman and managing director Anil Diggikar, and Panvel municipal commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh, along with Uran MLA Mahesh Baldi.

Presently, Panvel and its neighbouring villages, formerly part of the Panvel Municipal Council, require 32 MLD water. The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) sources 15 MLD from MJP and 5 MLD from MIDC. The remaining demand is fulfilled by the PMC-owned Dehrang dam, which depletes by April-May, exacerbating the situation with accumulated silt. Only about 3.5 MLD water is currently being sourced from the dam.

PMC has to depend increasingly on CIDCO, MJP and MIDC for additional water supply. Any delay or change in the quantum assured by these agencies adversely affects the water supply situation in Panvel leading to water cuts.

“The city has been facing water rationing and unannounced cuts for years. Even when we’re supposed to get a regular supply, it’s minuscule. We heavily depend on water tanks, which are often difficult to come by. Bottled water is costly. With new developments and a growing population, the water demand is increasing. How will the new population cope?” said Atul Jaitpal, a resident of Panvel.

PMC commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh said, “Since PMC heavily relies on external factors for water supply, it’s crucial to have a system ensuring continuous supply under our control. We’ve proposed to reserve water with the State Water Resources Department. Currently, we’ve requested 10 MLD water from the Patalganga River, and the proposal is with KIDC. For future needs, we’ve submitted a proposal for 500 mld water from Dolwal dam at Kolad.”

Speaking on other measures being taken up, Deshmukh said, “The laying of water pipeline under Phase 3 of the Nhava Sheva water supply project that will supply water from MJP and MIDC to PMC is in progress. We have been told that it will be completed by September.”

In response to the deputy chief minister’s instructions, Deshmukh said, “We are expecting an additional 25 mld water by this month, greatly benefiting the region.”

MLA Prashant Thakur, who raised the issue with Fadnavis, stressed the urgency of implementing the proposed solutions.

Thakur said, “DCM has assured early action on the various proposals put forth by PMC. Considering the severity of the situation and the impending summer, he instructed MJP to take immediate action, setting up new pumping infrastructure to ensure PMC receives the additional 25 MLD water supply by February end.”

Uran MLA Mahesh Baldi also emphasized expediting the land acquisition process for the Balganga dam and making decisions on small dams in the region to augment the water supply.