As Mumbai faces severe scarcity, BMC kicks off save water drive

As water levels in lakes supplying water to Mumbai reach a new low, owing to the poor monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has started a massive awareness campaign to get citizens to conserve water.

As water levels in lakes supplying water to Mumbai reach a new low, owing to the poor monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has started a massive awareness campaign to get citizens to conserve water.

The civic body has started sending text messages to citizens, requesting the judicial use of water.

Documentaries and advertisements will be created to reach out to a wider audience, sources in the civic body said.

The documentaries will be made in English, Hindi and Marathi.

“The monsoon season is withdrawing and water stock is extremely low to supply enough water to the city till the next monsoon. The only way we can prevent the situation from becoming worse is by asking citizens to use water judiciously. There is an urgent need to be careful about water usage,” said AS Tawadia, chief hydraulic engineer, BMC.

The BMC is also planning to reach out to citizens through advertisements and banners.

Civic officials said they will work with citizen’s groups and non-profit organisations to spread the message. Celebrities are also likely to be roped in.

In 2009, when the city faced a similar water shortage crisis, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar participated in the BMC’s campaign, asking people to avoid wastage of water.

The city requires 14 lakh million litres of water by the end of September, to be able to supply water till next July. But, the seven lakes that supply water to the city – Tansa, Tulsi, Vihar, Middle Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar and Bhatsa have a total stock of not even 10 lakh million litres.

Civic officials said there is no other way to tackle this situation than using water judiciously.

Civic officials have also asked citizens to ensure there are no leaking taps in their homes. “If anyone spots leaking taps anywhere in public places, we request them to reach out to us (on 1916) and our team would repair the tap immediately,” said an official.