Day 3: Paper plates to the rescue

Residents in south Mumbai, who went a third day without a drop of water in their taps, have come up with interesting ways to deal with the situation.

Residents in south Mumbai, who went a third day without a drop of water in their taps, have come up with interesting ways to deal with the situation.

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“We had been told that the we would get water every alternate day, so we thought we would manage. But, this is the third day without any BMC water. From Tuesday (the second day) we stopped washing clothes and have started using thermacol plates to eat lunch and dinner from,” said Vasanti Mane, owner of Zaveri Cottage building at Nana Chowk.

The six-member Mane family, including two children, has been ordering food from restaurants and drinking bottled water. They have spent more than Rs 1,000 on food and water in the last two days.

Neeta Shah, a resident of Forjet Hill area near Tardeo, is struggling to cope with the water cut and was thrilled to receive water for half-an-hour on Wednesday.

She said, “We don’t have a cooked breakfast in the morning. We just have some dry snacks so that there is no washing up to do. In the evening, we manage with just Khichdi and avoid gravy items.”

A resident living on rent in Girgaum and who did not wish to be named, said, “I don’t even try to cook food at home any more. I have been ordering it from outside for the past two days.”

Areas like Tardeo, Opera House, Nana Chowk, Sleater Road, Girgaum and Thakurdwar have been affected.

Ramesh Bambale, hydraulic engineer, BMC, said, “Affected areas will get supply on Thursday morning. We are trying to complete the work before schedule but over the next two days there will be supply albeit with low pressure. The work is scheduled to be complete by 10 pm on Thursday.”