Rising above the Mumbai skyline, the towering skyscrapers of the newly built MHADA colony in Prem Nagar, Goregaon (West), are a stark reminder of the city’s failed promise to provide basic amenities to residents. Despite the civic body’s claim of a 5% water cut, residents say that they are experiencing a 50% reduction in their water supply, leaving many households with barely enough water to meet their daily needs.
Residents of LIG 416 – Pahadi Goregaon, who took possession of their homes only last year, are struggling to access even the most basic necessities. The situation has become so dire that they are forced to wake up early to fill their buckets.
“Our colony is only a year old, comprising four 23-storey buildings with a total of 736 residents. Unfortunately, the supply of water is woefully inadequate,” said Hemant Kadam, a 51-year-old resident.
“For the past few days, the water has been coming at 4am, and we have to rush to fill our buckets before it’s shut off. With only two buckets of water available, there’s barely enough for our family of four. Given that almost 90% of the colony’s homes are occupied, it’s imperative that the water supply is increased to meet demand,” he said.
Kadam said the resident reached out to the hydraulic engineer at BMC, only to be told that he was on holiday and wouldn’t be available to until Monday. “How irresponsible is that? Water is a basic necessity. What are we supposed to do until Monday?” he said.
Hydraulic Engineer Bhiva Parab, however, said a team would visit the site to investigate the issue. “Our team will check the situation in the morning and identify the root cause,” he said. “This matter has just risen, and we are currently examining the situation to resolve it soon and restore the water supply to normal.”
P South Ward Assistant Commissioner Sanjay Jadhav confirmed that the BMC has implemented a 5% water cut since May 29. “From June 6, it will be increased to 10%.”
“We recommend that the residents of the colony have their meters checked to identify any potential issues. It is possible that old pipes may be contributing to the problem, and we believe that MHADA’s continued use of old water connections may be exacerbating the issue. Additionally, MHADA projects often require additional infrastructure, which is not always provided. The fact that many newer buildings are now taller than the traditional three-story structures may also be contributing to this problem,” he said.
Harshada Kadam, a 46-year-old housewife living on the 17th floor, was angry and frustrated. “We were blatantly deceived about the water supply. The developer assured us that water would never be a problem, and we foolishly trusted them. We even insisted on having a water tank installed in our home, but they confidently told us it would not be necessary,” she said.
She said that for the past 10 days, her family had not seen a single uninterrupted hour of water supply.
“The motor is faulty, and as we’re on the 17th floor. It’s a nightmare! The lack of water is causing immense stress, disrupting our daily household routines and making it impossible for us to store even a drop of water,” she said.
“We wake up at 6am only to find that the water supply is interrupted within 10 minutes,” said Salil Vinod, a 53-year-old resident. “After visiting the ward office we’ve been told by BMC officials that they’re unaware of 90% possession, leading to inadequate supply. The issue has been ongoing for 10 days, with no fixed timing for supply.”
Reshma Kadam, 49, said her family had been sold a “dream of luxury living”.
“What we got was a hollow shell without basic amenities like water supply. And now, we’re being treated like second-class citizens, forced to scrounge for every drop of water. My son’s health is at risk, and I’m stuck with a hospital bill because I couldn’t even fill his water bottle! The neighbours have been helping us, but how long can they be expected to bail us out?”
