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7.2 litre vs 1,705 litre |
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By: |
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Date:
2007-10-14 |
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Place: |
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Same city, same taxes but huge discrimination in water supply. RTI applications by two Mumbaikars shows how BMC leaves many citizens high and dry
| Aziz Ameriwala (65) and his friend and businessman Nitin Shah (39), both residents of Marol in Andheri east, were always angry with the BMC over the erratic water supply in Marol.
Curious over whether other areas in the city too faced the same problem, the two filed an RTI to get details of the BMC’s water supply all over Mumbai.
Though a wary BMC provided them only a little information on a few wards, it nevertheless showed how the BMC was partisan in its water supply.
Worse, the BMC was not following its own norms of supplying water at 90 litres per head everyday in every ward. Some of the civic wards were getting far less than they should and others much more.
Though the BMC tried to keep the RTI applications a secret, Sunday MiD DAY’s investigation revealed the whole story. Byculla vs Bandra
BMC’s total water supply for the city is about 3,350 million litres per day (MLD). However residents of Byculla ‘E’ ward get 7.2 litres per person per day, while Bandra (E) in H/E ward get 1,705 litres per person everyday.
According to RTI documents signed by an assistant engineer (water works department) of the ‘E’ ward, the ward has 4,39,393 population (as per census 2001) and the consumption of water per day is 111.94 MLD. If this is calculated with the population and consumption, it comes 7.2 litres per day for every citizen.
Bandra East (H-East) on the other hand has total 5,79,123 population (as per census 2001) and the consumption of water is 35,56,56,386 kilolitres (in the year 2006-7). The consumption calculated with the population comes to around 1,705 litres per day per person.
Similarly, “K-east and west wards (Andheri) have a total population of around 15 lakh, while the consumption of water supply per person per day is 263 litre. Andheri east has many industries, the commercial usage is more too,” sources said.
Vikhroli to Bhandup ‘S’ ward has a 3.3 lakh population and water supply per person is 424 litres a day.
These figures are sourced from the BMC and are over a year old. Ameriwala and Shah could not get all the wards to reveal their water supply specifics for this year.
Notice how H Ward (both east and west of Bandra, Khar and Santacruz) got 244 litres per person per day a little over a year ago. And now, just H-East is getting 1,705 litres per person per day
| | | | These figures are sourced from the BMC and are over a year old.
Ameriwala and Shah could not get all the wards to reveal their water supply specifics for this year.
Notice how H Ward (both east and west of Bandra, Khar and Santacruz) got 244 litres per person per day a little over a year ago.
And now, just H-East is getting 1,705 litres per person per day |
| | | A9 of 25 wards don’t bother to respond to RTI
| Amreliwala is disappointed with the BMC’s response. Out of 25 wards, just 16 have responded to the RTI and only five were able to give sufficient information: E ward (Byculla), H-east (Bandra east), M-east (Chembur), R-central (Borivli west) and R-south (Kandivli west) responded well.
F-north ward officials answered just one out of ten question asked. They replied ‘information is not available with this office’ to nine questions. The one they answered was about water supply timings in the ward. “People will lose interest in the RTI method because of this attitude,” says Amreliwala.
Amreliwala now also wants action against wards that have not bothered to respond to his query, “I want to know what action the BMC will take against the nine wards that did not have a single line of response to the RTI application. If this issue is not addressed, other wards will take up the practice of non-disclosure.”
| | | Municipal commissioner promises action
| Municipal commissioner Dr Jairaj Phatak said, “Action on all concerned officers from wards that did not provide information will be taken as per the RTI Act.”
He agrees about discrimination of water supply, saying, “Discrimination arises in a few areas, but it is not permanent.”
| | | BMC charges per thousand litres of water:
| Residential premises:
Rs 3.60 + 60% sewage charges
Small hotels
Rs 18 with sewage charges
Offices and B-grade hotels:
Rs 25 with sewage charges
A grade hotels (including five stars):
Rs 38 + 60% sewage charges
Government, semi-government offices:
Rs 18 |
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