This has raised many questions. At a time when Mumbai is on the edge after facing a 10 per cent cut in water availability, the country’s richest civic agency, BMC, plans to spend Rs 8.25 crore on a road-washing drive.
The expenditure will include the cost of road-washing as well as arranging water tankers. Standing committee chairman Prabhakar Shinde has sought an explanation from the civic administration over the proposal. Shinde has questioned the priority of spending on road-washing at a time when Mumbai is facing water supply restrictions. The proposal has put the BMC’s water-use priorities under scrutiny, particularly over whether road-washing should be done while the city is dealing with a shortage of water. Agricultural irrigation will receive the remaining water only after meeting human, livestock and fodder requirements.
Under the proposal, 377 dirty roads totalling nearly 677 km across Mumbai are planned to be washed. The decision to cut 10 per cent water supply came yesterday in response to a deficit rainfall attributed to the persistent El Nino phenomenon. Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan directed all urban local bodies (ULBs) across the state to implement a minimum 10 per cent mandatory water cut with effect from October 16.
He said citizens’ basic water requirements should come first. Treated wastewater must be reused exclusively for gardening, construction and washing purposes, the minister said.
