Mumbai’s water supply comes from 6 reservoir lakes that store rainwater collected during rainy season: Vihar lake, Tulsi lake, Tansa lake, Upper Vaitarna, Lower Vaitarna, and Bhatsa. The city draws from the Mithi and Thane watersheds. No additional capacity has recently been added despite the current rapid growth in population of Greater Mumbai.
These lakes are fenced and protected by armed forces to prevent possible terrorist attacks on the city’s water supply.
The issue however is less the source than the distribution of the water. Huge losses occur due to leakages of the pipelines, and due to illegal water connections tapping into these pipes. It is estimated that these two factors together account for the loss of 30 – 50%.
2009/10 marks a year of crisis because the monsoon rain of 2009 was very poor.
The supply per day is now about 3,450 million liters, with a demand gap of at least 400 million. [all numbers taken from http://mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/FullArticle/CECO/nenvironmentNews_uUSTRE5B22IQ20091203?src=RSS-ECO]
Per capita supply is dropping to an alarming 90l per person and day – scientists seem to agree that 100l is the absolute minimum one person requires.
[graph to follow]
Water therefore is now rationed in Mumbai, with residential water supply cut by 15% and commercial water supply cut by 30% for this season. This means that taps are only running between one and three hours per day, and supply will be cut off entirely for one day per week in each neighborhood soon in order to improve water pressure in the other parts of the city.
There is an obvious need for people to store as much water as possible. Most houses have tanks installed on the roof, or above the bathroom. Many people also fill drums, metal kitchen vessels, or canisters during water hours. The results are ever lower water pressure during supply hours, and even actual fights, especially in places where several families share one tap.
Whoever can afford it can buy more water from water tankers that are now omnipresent in Mumbai. The question, though, remains where they go to fill up.
