BMC to revive wells to resolve water crisis
Just four months after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) scoffed at a suggestion to take over private wells in the city, it is now reconsidering the proposal due to insufficient rains in the city.
In March this year, former mayor and Shiv Sena corporator Shubha Raul had demanded that the BMC take over private wells to prevent indiscriminate discharge of ground water. However, civic officials had turned down her proposal, stating that they wanted to emphasise “more on rain harvesting schemes to conserve water”.
With no significant headway made on rain harvesting schemes so far, the civic administration is left with no option, but to rely on traditional methods like procuring water from wells and bore wells. As per civic data, there are 1,581 wells in the city, of which almost half are privately-owned.
Additional municipal commissioner M.M. Adtani said, “The private wells are managed by the state government. If needed, we may have to take them over after writing to the collector.”
Mr Adtani also stressed on the need to revive borewells and ringwells across the city. He said, “Three years ago, when the city was hit by water shortage, the civic body had dug 525 bore wells and 50 ring wells. But once there were adequate rains, they were forgotten and no attempts were made to maintain them. So, we have now ask-ed ward-level officials to de-silt and repair them.” The BMC will also carry out cloud seeding, he added.
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