Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 15: Mumbai, India’s bustling financial hub, faced an unprecedented water crisis as a four-day-long water tanker strike threw normal life out of gear across the city. The situation, which escalated over the weekend, left residents and businesses grappling with acute water shortages until the Mumbai Water Tankers' Association finally called off the strike on Monday.

The impasse began on Friday after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued notices to borewell and ring well operators, instructing them to halt water supplies to tankers unless they obtained fresh licenses under stringent new guidelines from the Central Ground Water Authority.

The association protested the revised norms, which mandated suppliers to possess at least 200 square metres of land, legal proof of well ownership or lease, BIS-compliant digital water meters, daily water tracking systems, and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the authority. Terming the conditions “unrealistic and harsh,” the association withdrew services, triggering a city-wide water crisis.

The impact was most visible in densely populated areas like Marol, Gulshan Nagar, Vakola, Santacruz, and Vile Parle, where residents were seen relying on temple taps or purchasing bottled water. “I get 15 to 20 calls every day from people requesting water, but we’ve been asked not to operate due to the strike,” said Golu, a water tanker driver.

Restaurants were among the worst affected, particularly in the upscale Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), where at least 10 out of 15 eateries surveyed by NDTV Profit confirmed water supply challenges. While some establishments coped using municipal water or mineral water cans, smaller outlets feared they wouldn't be able to serve the Monday dinner rush. Similar concerns were raised by restaurateurs in Colaba.

With water woes mounting, many corporate offices in BKC opted for “work from home” directives. The city’s fragile water ecosystem was laid bare, despite its geographic position between the Arabian Sea and Thane Creek—sources unfit for drinking purposes.

Mumbai, with a daily requirement of 4,463 million litres of water, receives around 3,950 million litres from the BMC. The remaining 250 to 300 million litres are sourced through private water tankers, which rely on 385 borewells and ring wells across the city.

With approximately 1,800 to 2,500 tankers of varying capacities—ranging from 500 to 20,000 litres—these private services are vital to the city’s water needs, serving everyone from high-rises in South Mumbai to construction sites and suburban neighbourhoods.

As the strike has now been called off, normalcy is expected to return. However, the episode underscores the city's fragile dependence on private water contractors and the urgent need for cohesive policies to ensure uninterrupted access to water—a basic human necessity.