Diwali relief: Water cuts of Nov 2 and 9 cancelled in Thane, Mira-Bhayander and Bhiwandi

Residents of Thane, Mira-Bhayander and Bhiwandi have received some relief. The water supply shutdowns planned for November 2 and 9, during Diwali, have been cancelled. The STEM company took the decision to spare residents hardship. Residents of the Thane Zilla Parishad area will also benefit.

The STEM company decided so that no one faces a water shortage during the festival days. The supply had been scheduled to be shut on November 2 and 9 in the cities of Thane, Mira-Bhayander and Bhiwandi and in the Thane Zilla Parishad area; this has now been cancelled. Residents will therefore not face the scheduled cut on these two dates, and should get full supply for household chores, hosting guests and other needs during the festival.

Why had the cut been imposed? Concern has been expressed that the likely impact of El Nino could create drought-like conditions in the state. In view of this, the state government has imposed a 10 per cent water cut. The decision is being implemented through the STEM authority, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and the Thane Municipal Corporation's own water supply scheme.

Under the cut, water is being shut off for 24 to 36 hours a week. For the next one to two days after that, water arrives at low pressure. As a result, residents are facing a shortage and some housing societies have had to buy water by tanker. The shutdown was initially planned for every Wednesday, but the schedule was later changed to every Monday.

The cuts of November 2 and 9 have been cancelled because of Diwali, but the regular cuts will resume. From November 16, water will be shut every Monday. Supply will be off on November 16, 23 and 30. In December too, water will be shut as per the fixed schedule. The municipal administration has appealed to residents to use water carefully and to store water as needed.

The Thane Municipal Corporation supplies water to different parts of the city through its own water supply scheme. Under this scheme, water was earlier to be shut every Wednesday from 9 am to 3 am on Thursday, a period of 18 hours. At a meeting on October 28, it was decided to change this schedule. Now water will be shut every Monday at 9 am instead of Wednesday and will resume at 3 am on Tuesday.

So that residents are not inconvenienced during Diwali and supply is not disrupted, the Thane Municipal Corporation has also cancelled the November 2 and 9 cuts under its separate water supply scheme. The Thane Municipal Corporation administration gave this information. The administration said the weekly cut will resume from November 16, so residents should make arrangements accordingly and use water sparingly, keeping its availability in mind.