Mumbai: With Mumbai continuing to face a 10% water cut, the BMC has directed its engineers to stop resolving water-supply complaints from their offices and instead visit affected areas, interact with residents, and identify the root cause of problems.Additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar issued the directions during a review meeting of the civic hydraulic engineer department on Friday.He said complaints of low pressure, inadequate supply, changes in distribution timings, pipeline leakages and other technical issues must be investigated on site and not merely addressed through temporary measures. “After receiving a water supply complaint, engineers should visit the site and determine the reasons behind it. Once the complaint is resolved, they should interact with local residents and verify whether the water supply has actually returned to normal,” Bangar said.The BMC currently has a 10% water cut in place even as the stock in the reservoirs supplying Mumbai stood at around 95% on Friday. Bangar said the water situation could be considered satisfactory for withdrawing the cuts only if the reservoirs have 100% stock by September 30.He said below-average rainfall in August and the possibility of below-average rainfall in September made careful management of the available water stock necessary.The department has also been asked to explore providing full-pressure water supply on at least one designated day in each supply zone so that adequate pressure reaches areas at the tail end of the distribution network.Bangar also directed officials to identify deficiencies in the distribution network and rectify them without delay. Local elected representatives and residents should be kept informed about the water cuts and measures being taken, he said.Officials have also been asked to regularly inspect areas facing water-supply problems and coordinate with other departments to address deficiencies. Bangar stressed that citizens should be given clear information about the water-supply situation, alternative arrangements and remedial measures.
