Water
Conditions of Mumbai
Water is one of the
most vital natural resources for all life on Earth. The availability and
quality of water always have played an important part in determining not only
where people can live, but also their quality of life. Even though there always
has been plenty of fresh water on Earth, water has not always been available
when and where it is needed, nor is it always of suitable quality for all uses.
Water must be considered as a finite resource that has limits and boundaries to
its availability and suitability for use.
Water is needed for various domestic as well as industrial purposes. We use water for drinking, washing, cleaning,
cooking, and farming, etc. Various agricultural as well as industrial processes
like steel production require water at large amount. Electricity production,
transportation also requires water in a considerable amount.
The balance between supply and
demand for water is a delicate one. The amount of water in hand and in future
will keep on depleting as the development proceeds. Water must be in sufficient
supply for an area to develop.
Mumbai receives its demand of water from various dams. Western Ghats traps most of the moisture and feed to these dammed rivers. Currently, these dams deliver approximately 3.4 billion litres of water to Mumbai daily. There are seven lakes that provide water to the population of Mumbai includes Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarana, Modak sagar, Tansa, Vihar and Tulsi. Mumbai city requires 4200 million litres of water daily. Mumbai municipality (BMC) supplies only 3500 to 3750 million litters of water per day. The gap between demand and supply is met by tankers, wells, bore wells, rain water harvesting, etc.
Mumbai receives its demand of water from various dams. Western Ghats traps most of the moisture and feed to these dammed rivers. Currently, these dams deliver approximately 3.4 billion litres of water to Mumbai daily. There are seven lakes that provide water to the population of Mumbai includes Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarana, Modak sagar, Tansa, Vihar and Tulsi. Mumbai city requires 4200 million litres of water daily. Mumbai municipality (BMC) supplies only 3500 to 3750 million litters of water per day. The gap between demand and supply is met by tankers, wells, bore wells, rain water harvesting, etc.
We have taken water
for granted because it is normally available to us all the time. So people are
using it very carelessly. With only 3% being available for drinking, wasting
this precious resource has become a very careless & contagious habit
leading us to a platform where we even lose its sight
Washing a car is more
like a routine activity for all city folks. Water used for washing
1 car daily wastes approximately 302.83 litres of water per month. Swimming in the swimming pool takes
1000 gallons of water at a month. This water is too precious for our
environment. Dish washing, sprinklers and fountains also waste large amount of
water. Use of the flush in toilets takes 37.85 litres of water per flush which
is not required. Use of the shower for bathing uses 1/5th amount of
water which is required for bath. Leaky taps and faucets contribute to water
wastage. According to BMC’s Rain Water Harvesting Cell leaving the tap water running
results in wastage of 198.75 million litres per day.
Population of India is
increasing at an alarming rate. As per 2001 census Mumbai has 11.98 million
populations. Population graphs are continuously showing increase and this will
lead to increased water demand. According to statistical data it is estimated
that 6326 million litres per day water is needed to fulfil
need of water upto 2050. As the resource is getting scarce there is ultimate
need to store it and use wisely and also tap techniques of grey water recycling.
Why are we discussing
all these stats on water in Mumbai? Stay tuned for more....
Green
Health Foundation
(Article published in Chemical Daily Plus issue of 10th December 2015)
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