Surya Dam begins water supply to Vasai-Virar without inauguration

In a welcome news, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), following an order from the chief minister Eknath Shinde, has started the supply of water from Surya dam to Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC). According to a Hindustan Times report, MMRDA’s project to supply 185 MLD of water to VVMC and adjoining villages was ready in October but was waiting for the inauguration. Local Shiv Sena MP Rajendra Gavit took up the matter with the CM after the latter ordered MMRDA to start the water supply without further delay. Following CM’s order, MMRDA started supplying the water from Surya Dam to VVMC. 78 MLD of water was taken into the system, which went up to 85 MLD. 

MMRDA has started the additional water supply from Surya dam to the Vasai-Virar area as per the directives of the chief minister. However, it will take some time for the supply to reach its full capacity of 185 MLD. The quantity of water supply will increase in the coming days,” said a senior MMRDA official. On the other hand, a VVMC official said that the water supply will be irregular till it becomes stable. “As of now, we are in the testing phase, and during this period supply starts and stops due to technical reasons in the system. We have gone up to the 85 MLD additional water supply and got disruption. This supply will be on a trial-and-error basis for a few days as there are two systems involved in it, one of MMRDA and the second of the municipal corporation. Within a few days, both systems will synchronise, and the water supply will go up to 100-110 MLD. Only after a month or two it is expected to reach full capacity of 185 ML,” said the VVMC official.

Last week, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA)MLA Kshitij Thakur met Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee with a request for increased water supply from the Surya Dam project for the regions falling under the Vasai Virar civic body. Currently, the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) areas require 372 million litres of water per day (MLD), while they are receiving only 230 MLD. Thakur pointed out the significant population growth in Vasai-Virar since 2011, which has doubled, resulting in an escalated demand for water resources in the area. To address this concern, he stressed the vital role of the Surya Dam project and the importance of augmenting water provisions for the citizens. Thakur emphasized that 185 MLD of water allocation from the Surya Dam project is essential for VVMC.

Recently, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) staged a protest in the area addressing the persistent water issues faced by over 30 lakh people in the region. MNS leader Sharmila Thackeray highlighted that the scheme designed to provide 185 million litres of water per day had not been inaugurated by the state government, causing daily hardships for the local population.