Rajesh Thakur, general secretary of the Mumbai Water Tanker Association, says they are willing to follow new directives but the process will take a few days so operations will cease till then
(From left) Mumbai Water Tanker Association Joint Secretary Manoj Chourasia; General Secretary Rajesh Thakur and Joint Secretary Sandiip Mandhare at Reti Bunder, Mahim on April 9. Pic/Ashish Raje
While the Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) will cease operations from Thursday over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) directive to borewell owners to either obtain licences from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) or shut shop, MWTA General Secretary Rajesh Thakur told mid-day, “We are not going on strike. We are just following the BMC’s order. The deadline given by the civic body [for well owners to get CGWA licences] will end on Thursday, so we will stop operating tankers to avoid legal complications.”
Non-potable water will not be supplied for the duration of the strike while the supply of potable water is likely to be impacted a bit. The actual effects of the agitation will be witnessed in the next five to six days. Around 1800 to 2000 tankers provide 200 to 250 million litres of non-potable water daily. This is mainly used for commercial purposes as well as infrastructure projects, according to Thakur. “Also, the supply of around 50 million litres of potable water by tankers will stop,” he added.
Water tankers queue up at a filling station near Metro Cinema at Marine Lines on April 9. Pic/Shadab Khan
“We have emailed our concerns to the chief minister’s office, and we also got a response from the chief minister officer acknowledging the receipt of our letter,”
he added. An official from the BMC’s pesticide department said, “We have served notices to borewell owners, instructing them to follow CGWA guidelines and get a licence from the authority. Otherwise, we can take legal action against them.”
According to sources, if well owners provide water without a CGWA licence, the BMC can impose fines on the former ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 50,000. The city’s current water requirement is 4450 million litres per day while it receives 3950 million litres daily. According to civic guidelines, Mumbai’s groundwater can only be used for non-drinking purposes.
“The BMC only provides potable water via tankers during an emergency if any area does not get sufficient water due to non-supply or pipeline repairs. Tankers take potable water from 17 filling points of the BMC. Citizens can get tanker water after undergoing verification,” the official said. According to the CGWA guidelines that came into force in 2020, each borewell owner must have 200 square metres of area and should ensure vehicles did not stop on the road while filling water. They must also be equipped with flow meters and GPS tracking systems.
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