IIPS-Envis Center on Environment and Population

Population jumps 2m from 2001

With time running out, water dept does its own number crunching

Mumbai: The next census will be carried out in the city only in 2011. But the civic water department says it cannot wait that long for the figures or, for that matter, cope with the ever-increasing demand for water.
   According to the department, the city’s population has grown by a whopping two million since 2001. It was 11.97 million then. By 2008, it touched 13.24 million and by 2011, will rise to 13.79 million.
   According to the water department, the past three decades (1971-2001) saw maximum growth in the western suburbs (between Andheri and Dahisar). The growth has been especially rapid between Goregaon and Dahisar.
   In the P Ward—Goregaon, Malad (E) and Dindoshi—the population has grown three times, whereas in the R Ward—Malad (W), Kandivli and Dahisar—it has grown six times. This growth has been further fuelled by the transfer of development rights (TDR), both for acquiring land for public amenities such as roads and open spaces, as well as for slum redevelopment.
   Strangely, while the population in the western suburbs is 59 lakh, it receives just 1,320 million litres daily (mld). This is in sharp contrast to the island city, which at a population of mere 33 lakh receives 1,140 mld.
   In a recent white paper on the city’s water supply and demand, which was presented to the standing committee, the department has admitted that owing to water shortage, the duration of supply in several localities had reduced by 75 to 90 minutes.
Yogesh Sagar, Kandivli BJP corporator , has been repeatedly raising the issue of acute shortage in the Goregaon-Dahisar belt. Sagar says that though a third of the city’s population resides between Goregaon and Dahisar, it receives just 620 mld. The water department, in its report, too admits that it receives the maximum number of complaints from Andheri to Dahisar. “The administration is doing nothing to create an equitable distribution system. They talk of a uniform 10% water cut but when the water supply itself is skewed, how can the cut be equal,’’ Sagar asks.
“My ward is called the Malad reservoir because a reservoir is situated here. But, there is not enough water. At every ‘prabhag samiti’ (ward committee), all the councillors keep complaining about water shortage. But the administration does not have any solutions,’’says Vidya Chavan of P-North Ward. The city loses nearly 20% or 680 mld through leakage and pilferage.