Taps in Diva, Kalwa and most of Mumbra will run dry from midnight at the end of Thursday, October 22, and stay off until noon on Saturday, October 24. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) announced the 36-hour shutdown on Wednesday evening, Free Press Journal reported, and linked it to the state government’s order to cut water supply by 10%.
For a family in these wards, the cut covers all of Friday and half of Saturday. TMC also expects low pressure for one to two days after supply returns, so normal flow may not come back before Sunday or Monday.
Wards on the Jambhul plant’s supply
The shutdown follows the source of the water. These neighbourhoods draw their supply from the Jambhul water treatment plant, which the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) runs, and distribution from that plant stops for the 36 hours. Saam TV notes that Mumbra, Diva, Kalwa, Majiwada-Manpada and Wagle all receive MIDC water.
The affected areas, according to the TMC notice as carried by The Daily Jagran and Free Press Journal:
- Diva ward committee: all areas.
- Kalwa ward committee: all areas.
- Mumbra ward committee: most areas, except parts of ward Nos. 26 and 31.
- Wagle ward committee: Rupadevi Pada, Kisan Nagar No. 2 and Nehru Nagar.
- Majiwada-Manpada ward committee: Kolshet Khalcha Gaon.
Ward committees the notice does not name, such as Naupada and Uthalsar, are outside this shutdown. Residents of ward 26 or 31 in Mumbra should check with their ward office, since the notice exempts only parts of those wards.
How the state’s 10% order reached Thane
The state’s Water Resources Department ordered every municipal corporation, municipality and gram panchayat to cut piped supply by at least 10% from October 16, after a weak monsoon and fears that El Niño would stretch dry conditions into next year. Our earlier report on that order explains that the state set the minimum and left the method to each local body: fewer supply hours, lower pressure or skipped days.
TMC’s notice cites lower post-monsoon rain, El Niño and the early withdrawal of the monsoon in October as the reasons behind the directive. A single long shutdown in the MIDC-fed wards is one way of meeting that target. The corporation has not said whether more shutdowns of this kind will follow, and residents of Diva and Mumbra will want that answer before the summer. Thane has already seen a 24-hour cut in late September for work at the Temghar plant.
Filling up before Thursday night
TMC has asked residents to store enough water in advance, use it carefully during the shutdown and cooperate with the civic administration. For most homes in these wards, Thursday’s supply is the last before Saturday afternoon.
Housing societies with underground sumps can top them up and hold the overhead tank in reserve for drinking and cooking. Families in chawls and smaller buildings without storage will need buckets and drums filled by Thursday night. Plan laundry and floor washing for Sunday or later, once pressure recovers.
Sources: Free Press Journal, The Daily Jagran, Saam TV
This report was written with AI assistance from the publicly reported sources linked here; each fact was cross-checked against at least two of them.