Normal water supply in the city has resumed from today as the BMC claimed that it has completed the repair work of the water supply tunnel that was damaged. The city gets water from two major lines - a 2.5-metre diameter line from Tansa and 5.5-metre diameter tunnel from Bhatsa.The first damage occurred on March 3 at Kopri in Thane when a 2.5-metre line leaked during the construction of a bridge.
On March 27, the water main line near Mulund octroi naka was damaged during MSRDCs construction work of a box culvert. Major disruption occurred when the 5.5-metre diameter tunnel was punctured at Wagle Estate, during illegal digging for a bore well on March 28. Soon after, the BMC announced a month-long 15 per cent water cut to undertake repair work. As the BMC was preparing for repair, the 2.5-metre line was damaged for the second time in Kopri. "With all the leakages fixed, the water supply has been restored and the city will get water like usual," said Purushottam Malawade, chief of the Hydraulic Engineering Department.
City residents had to face severe water scarcity during the period. In some areas, people had to spend a lot of money on water tankers as the tankers provided by the BMC were insufficient. The tunnel carries 2,000-2,200 million litres of water daily. As per BMC officials, it would take three to four days to ensure that the tunnel starts functioning to its full capacity.