‘Mumbai cannot take our water for granted’, claim Shahpur citizens

Representational image; Courtesy: The Associated Press

Local Press Co 5-point Snippet

1. Citizens of Shahpur district, located close to Thane, have began a protest owing to the ‘artificial water crisis’ in the district. Around 350 men and women began a peaceful march on Mumbai-Nashik highway on May 14 and are heading for the Mantralaya.

2. Shahpur has five water bodies, all of which are used to supply water to citizens of Mumbai, leaving the Shahpur residents dependent on government-chartered tankers.

3. While the five lakes supply almost 3000 million litres of water to Mumbai every day, 110 out of 231 villages and tiny settlements within the district deal with water scarcity and have to travel miles to fetch water. Further, many far-off villages receive a water tanker only once in every 2 to 3 days.

4. The citizens, who were already growing agitated with their condition, reached the tipping point after a 13-year-old fell to her death in a well.

5. The march will reach Mantrayala on the 17th of May, coinciding with the cabinet meeting. If their demands are not heard, the protesters have threatened to break all BMC water pipes in order to deprive Mumbaikars of the luxury they take for granted.