05 June,2026 01:12 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
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The administration in Maharashtra's Thane district has deployed 40 water tankers across 39 villages and 127 'padas' (hamlets) to tackle water scarcity during the summer season, an official release said on Friday.
The Rural Water Supply Department of the Thane Zilla Parishad has formulated a plan to ensure an uninterrupted water supply to 58,443 affected citizens, it said.
While Ambernath, Bhiwandi, and Kalyan talukas reported no serious shortage, the administration is focusing heavily on the remote Murbad and Shahapur talukas, the release said.
In Murbad, six tankers were approved for 5,666 citizens across six villages and 10 padas. Meanwhile, Shahapur taluka, the hardest hit by scarcity, received nearly three dozen private tankers to serve 52,777 residents across 33 villages and 117 padas, they said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of fish were found dead in a lake in Maharashtra's Thane district, triggering anger among residents who blamed untreated industrial effluents for the incident, officials said on Friday.
The fish were found dead in the Milapnagar lake located in Dombivli MIDC area on Thursday.
Local citizens claimed that the lake turned black and a foul smell spread in the vicinity after water from nearby chemical units allegedly seeped into it.
Officials from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation visited the site and collected water samples for testing. A civic official said preliminary inspection points to possible discharge of industrial waste into the lake.
Residents of Milapnagar and surrounding MIDC areas have demanded immediate action against units flouting pollution norms. They alleged that such incidents have occurred in the past, but no permanent solution has been found.
MPCB officials said a probe has been ordered, and action will be taken if untreated effluents are found to have been released.
Mumbai's civic body said it will plant around 16,000 trees at Kanjurmarg dumping ground in the eastern part of the metropolis on Friday as part of a major afforestation drive to mark World Environment Day.
In a release issued on Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said more than seven indigenous and environmentally suitable tree species will be planted under the initiative, which is expected to significantly boost green cover at the site.
"The new plantation will add to the 12,800 plants already growing in the Kanjurmarg dumping ground area. The plantation drive, titled 'ReRoot', is being organised jointly by BMC and Antony Waste Handling Cell Ltd at the waste processing facility in Kanjurmarg," it said.
The programme will begin at 8 am and citizens can participate in the plantation drive between 9.30 am and 5 pm, the BMC said while urging Mumbaikars to join the initiative and contribute to environmental conservation.
"The drive is aimed at transforming solid waste management infrastructure into a green and sustainable ecosystem and will contribute to building a greener future for Mumbai," the civic body added.
(With inputs from PTI)
