Goregaon township reels as tanker strike leaves thousands without water; BMC says no back-up; Royal Palms consists of 48 buildings and has population of 50,000-60,000 people
Biju Augustine, who has an office in the Main Frame IT Park building at Royal Palms. Pic/BY Special ARRANGEMENT
Residents of Royal Palms in Goregaon, who depend entirely on private water tankers for their daily water needs, were left scrambling on Thursday as a sudden tanker strike disrupted supply. Appeals for help to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) P South ward were turned down, with officials citing a limited number of municipal tankers and an inability to meet additional demand. Royal Palms consists of 48 buildings and has population of 50,000-60,000 people.
Sharing their struggle for water, Sandip Gadhave, a resident of one of the buildings in Royal Palms, said, “We have been living here for many years and the majority of residents rely on private water tankers. Since the tanker owners have gone on strike, we wrote a letter to the BMC P South Ward office requesting a municipal tanker. The ward officer informed us that they cannot supply a BMC tanker as there is only one for the entire P South Ward, which includes all of Goregaon East and West.”
The water situation in other societies within the Royal Palms township is just as dire. Biju Augustine, who has an office in the Main Frame IT Park building at Royal Palms, told mid-day that the strike will severely affect them as the entire commercial building is fully dependent on private tankers, with no BMC water connection.
“We have around 330 members in our commercial building,” Augustine said. “Since we don’t have a BMC connection, we rely solely on private tankers for our daily supply. Once we heard about the strike, we restricted water usage and instructed our staff to conserve as much as possible. If this continues, we’re going to face serious problems.” Augustine added that the society needs approximately 49,000 litres of water per day and typically spends Rs 1300 per private tanker.
Aaditya slams government
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray took a swipe at the government via social media. Posting on X, he said, “The Mumbai Water Tanker Association has called for a strike, and during this peak demand season, many residential societies, large buildings, commercial offices, and businesses will be hit. The association is protesting against the Bulk Water Supplier guidelines issued by the Central Ground Water Authority of the Government of India.”
“For the past three years, this issue has persisted, and the Maharashtra government hasn’t raised it with the Centre. Today, Mumbaikars will suffer due to impractical guidelines made by bureaucrats in Delhi. I urge the BMC commissioner to hold a press conference and brief Mumbaikars on the civic body’s water management plan. Also, had the Eknath Shinde regime not scrapped the desalination plant we planned, Mumbai’s water crisis could have been resolved by 2026 at the latest.”
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