Mumbai civic body invokes Disaster Management Act as water tanker strike enters 4th day

The Mumbai Water Tanker Association went on a strike on April 10. (Image: PTI)

As the water tanker strike entered its fourth day since its inception on April 4, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday invoked the Disaster Management Act 2005 to find a solution to strike.

In a release issued this evening, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said it is exercising powers under sections 34 (a) and 65 (1) of the Act to requisition private water tankers, wells and borewells, PTI reported.

"Tanker operations will be managed through coordinated efforts of teams from BMC wards, Mumbai police and the transport commissionerate," the release stated.

The decision was taken on the fourth day of the indefinite strike by the Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA). Wells and ponds in Mumbai are privately owned, and private tanker owners extract water from them to cater to city residents.

The release said a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been formulated for streamlining water supply to private housing societies and other stakeholders.

Confirming the development, Bhushan Gagrani, Commissioner, BMC, said the order to requisition privately owned tankers and borewells will be implemented with the help of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the police department, according to a report by the Indian Express.

“As long as the strike is on, we will take control of… the tankers under the Disaster Management Act, which empowers the commissioner to do requisition of any place or thing which is necessary for public convenience whenever there is a disaster situation,” said Gagrani.

According to officials, legal action will be taken against those private borewell and tanker owners who refuse to abide by the order and hand over control to the civic body.

The Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) began its "indefinite break" sparking acute water shortages after BMC issued notices to owners of private wells that supply water to the tankers for compliance with rules from Thursday. It has affected water supply to residential societies, railways, and construction projects, among others, PTI reported.

The MWTA has around 1,800 registered tankers with a capacity of 500-20,000 litres, and these tankers supply around 350 MLD of water to different parts of Mumbai.

As per the MWTA, the authorities have made 200 square metre land, proof of lease or ownership of a well, installation of a digital water flow metre, adherence to BIS standard, accurate measurement of daily intake etc mandatory, besides a no-objection certificate from Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).

The MWTA has refused to pull back the stir despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asking the BMC to come up with an immediate solution in view of citizens' woes amid summer.

Fadnavis, through a post on X on Friday, said he has directed the Mumbai municipal commissioner to find "an immediate solution" by way of finding out the "golden mean" in the revised rules and demands of tanker owners, as "a water (shortage) problem has arisen in some places".

On Friday, Union Jal Shakti minister CR Paatil chaired a meeting at Bandra Kurla Complex, in which representatives of tanker owners were present along with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) officials.

In the meeting, Paatil instructed the CGWA administration to simplify the 'Bhu-Neer' online system for obtaining NOCs to make it more user-friendly.