Despite the arrival of the monsoon, Mumbai is still reeling under a severe water shortage. It was a similarly grim situation this time last year. Although the current water cut is officially only 20%, it actually translates to a lot more for most people.
In our building, we’ve gone from receiving unlimited water 24 hours a day to only getting water for a few hours at a time, three times a day. The water supply to flush the toilet has also been cut off, so we have to flush it manually with a bucket. (Another instance of the ubiquitous Indian bucket being put to good use!).
Many people aren’t anywhere near as fortunate as us. Some only get water for 10 minutes a day, or not at all.
Today, the “additional municipal commissioner in charge of water supply” (isn’t one enough to do the job properly?) is saying that Mumbai may only get water once in 2 days if ongoing heavy rain isn’t received soon. Apparently Pune is already moving towards such a situation.
So how do people cope? Either buy buying water, which comes in large delivery trucks, or by storing water.
Our apartment has an overhead water storage tank that can be directly filled from the water supply just by turning on a tap. It’s quite convenient. Our landlord is especially enthusiastic about it too. Last year, when I complained to him about the building’s ongoing water problems, he always kept referring me to the water storage tank as a wonderful solution.
I assumed that every apartment in our complex had one of these water storage tanks. However, not so it seems. One day when the landlord visited, I discovered the reason why he was so proud of his water storage tank. Apparently, our apartment is possibly the only apartment in the building to have one!
Really? Why doesn’t everyone install a water storage tank? “Oh, they’re not allowed to. Overhead water storage tanks are not permitted in the apartments”, the landlord informed me.
He went on to tell me how he used to be a member of the building’s co-operative society (these societies are usually anything BUT cooperative!) and he was actively responsible for implementing a rule that banned the installation of water storage tanks. Not only this, he then directly turned around and installed such a tank in his own apartment.
Anyone who’s familiar with the workings of India will probably be able to predict the outcome of his actions. Apparently, an angry mob (and rightly so!) of residents from the other apartments gathered at the door of his apartment. They hammered on the door and threatened to beat him up. However, in reality, could anything be done to change the situation? Of course not. We still have our water storage tank while the other residents have to go without.
While I’m grateful that we do have the tank, I’m dismayed that the landlord could be so content about it. I’m appalled and incensed by his hypocritical behaviour. Doesn’t he care that he has deprived everyone else of an important convenience? From what I could gather from his satisfied manner, obviously not! Self interest reins supreme.
Similar situations are common all over India. People say one thing and do another. They have double standards. And there’s no accountability of people in power.
Now, I’d better stop before I get further away from the topic of water cuts!
© 2009, Diary of a White Indian Housewife. All rights reserved. Do not copy and reproduce text or images without permission.
Related Posts You May Like:
PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH 1500+ TRAVEL PARTNERS, 100% CUSTOMISED
when I lived in Hawaii we had tons of house lizards. I let 3 chameleons free range. I would get tons of... } – 
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Sharell,
Please don’t get offended by my pro-Russian views. If by any chance I have hurt you I am extremely sorry.
The electricity and water supply in Mumbai is much better than in New Delhi or any other Indian city. The summers in New Delhi are very hot with the mercury crossing 45 degrees Celsius. In Delhi people on an average have to face 6 hours of power cuts daily. The hot and humid weather of Delhi makes matters further worse. Delhi is becoming more of an extension of the Thar desert. In Delhi most of the households receive water twice a day for 2 hours.
It is high time the government of India takes note of the current water, electricity crisis and take remedial measures. The remedial measures include the following
Increasing the installed power capacity of the nation by 25000 MW per year( India will need an estimated 800,000 MW of power by 2035 which is roughly six times the present installed capacity of 149,000 MW). Power thefts and transmission losses also have to be reduced.
Interlinking of rivers ,rain water harvesting,de-salanisation of sea water can help solve the water crisis. Rivers in North-East India have abundant water supply which can be diverted to water deficient rivers in other parts of the country.
Hi Shaunak, why would I be offended. You’ve made some very valid points. I think the situation is appalling. I’ve never lived in Delhi so I can’t comment, but I know Mumbai is relatively well off compared to a lot of places. It is extremely frustrating that the government can’t seem to act to remedy India’s problems. Even in Mumbai there are apparently 1,400 wells and borewells, but only 400 are functional. The rest haven’t been cleaned for years. Why doesn’t someone get to work and clean them? Or is it impossible because the BMC (municipal council) can’t even keep the nullahs properly clean for the monsoon.
Hope your landlord/lady doesn’t read the post….if he does he or his wife might make an unscheduled stopover and have a “talk”
Sharell – I can’t comment on the ineptitude of the Indian Gov’t but I know some people trying to remedy water shortage problems without waiting for the gov’t – isn’t that a common theme in India too
Want a quick win? Vote for Rainwater for Humanity on Ideablob.com. It just takes a minute. They are the front runners in an idea popularity contest that ends in 15 hours or so from now. If they have the most votes, they’ll win 10k to get their idea off the ground. To learn more and vote: http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/5189-Rainwater-for-Humanity
Very good idea Amy! I just voted.
Sharell: I haven’t experienced water cuts in my visit to Delhi area…
As you must know by now, their is tremendous disparity between the HAVE’S and the HAVE NOT in India. If the consulates and Embassy people have access to water and electricity 24/7 that means its there, just not spread fairly.
Sometimes I wish India had a dictator and was run like a private company like Tata. That would straighten everyone out.
Dev: There are water cuts in Delhi too. And they are bad, bad, bad water cuts. It’s criminal.
Sharell: You should make a visit to Delhi soon. We’re not as bad as we seem you know!
See there is nothing much the “system” can do here, when the sources themselves don’t have enough. Infact, compared to the other cities, Bombay has a much better water supply situation. And the municipal workers of the city are diligent and hardworking and do a decent job given the enormous population and utter lack of civic sense among the people.
It’s typical Indian lethargy to blame the “system” for our actions. It’s fast, and provides instant gratification, you see.
“Why don’t they clean the nullahs”? Why the hell do we dirty them in the first place.
“Why do the roads get flooded”? Do we bother about that when we throw that candy wrapper on the street?
“Why is the system so corrupt?” FYI, it is what gets most of the Indian elite’s work done.
It’s easy to blame the system. But it takes a lot of strength of character and sensitivity to change ourselves. If (we) the people don’t bother, there is little the poor BMC guys can do.(I refer to the actual labourers and workers, who are the unwitting targets of our idiotic diatribes and not to the corrupt higher-ups.)
But New Bombay didn’t have much of a problem regarding water at all 8)
Infact we’re having water cuts not because of poor rains, but because a wall in the pumping station collapsed(probably because of heavy rains!)
Oh yes, I completely agree!! And something else I was surprised to discover recently — people aren’t billed according to the amount of water they use?? Apartments don’t have their own water meters? I just assumed water was pay per consumption like it is back home, but apparently it’s not here. Surely if it was, it would cut down on wastage?
Even in Chennai we have the same problem. However we buy water from outside .In this also we never had any unity. The flats people fighting with each other for not paying charges.
Now the situation is a bit ok and I hope in summer we have ahassle free water supply
We have an overhead water tank in all apartments in our colony, so I was kind of surprised that your previous apartment was the only one with a overhead tank. Most of the apartments have power back up in the form of huge generators running on diesel. Enough to run your fans and lights. The delhi metro runs right through the length of the colony, though is still sparsely populated. It gets a little difficult during the summers but we are somewhat more fortunate than other Delhiwalah
Yes, well, all of the apartments probably would’ve had over head water storage tanks if our landlord, who headed the housing society, didn’t introduce a rule that banned them.
I still don’t understand his reasoning. It’s just completely unreasonable — especially to then go and install one in his own apartment.
By apartment I mean all the flats in a housing society. Each housing society goes by the name of an apartment. Our colony is a cluster of hundreds of housing societies. Each apartment block in our society has a overhead tank which is used for bathing and washing a catering to eight apartments. The water is hard though. In addition, we have small individual tanks in each flat which store the supply water which is used for cooking and drinking. We have also installed a water harvesting system to raise the water table beneath our society. The Delhi Government provides grants to all housing societies to install water harvesting systems. It is mandatory for all new constructions in Delhi. Before 1983, Delhi was a like small village. Then came the Asian Games. There was such tremendous development. All haphazard of course. Builders and politicians joined hands to create a mess of unauthorized colonies. Come elections, they promise to authorize the colonies and consolidate their vote bank and then forget all about them. This is more or less the story of all cities in India. The administrators feel that people will somehow survive without proper road, electricity or clean drinking water. It is high time that the people of this country start demanding a decent living standard for them and make these people accountable.
Oh, to me one flat is an apartment, and all of them are an apartment building or apartment complex! Thanks for the clarification.
I wrote extensively when u took the blogging break. Good to see u back in action. I thought u were unwell after coming back from Jaipur.
My sore throat and sniffles returned as soon as I got back to Mumbai from Jaipur. Darn pollution.
Hi Sharell!
First of all, I love your blog, its absolutely amusing! I was wondering if you could help me out a bit. So, due to this water cut stuff in Bandra.. My landlord has a tank in our building inside our apartment but it won’t store the water. and that water barely comes to the kitchen (like drip size water drops) … I want to know :
1. Is it my responsibility to fix the tank?
2. How does the water flow-wise when you use your tank?
I was under the impression its my landlords responsibility so i’ve been chasing her now she’s fighting me and threatening me to leave if I don’t like the tank not working eventhough I’m in a one year lease. She keeps threatening me saying You should be very worried I’m gonna bring everyone and end this matter, I’m sick of your stuff… etc etc. and she tells me to cook my food in the bathroom! THeres no water in my house from 12 noon to 8 pm because the society wont turn it on.
Please help!!
Hi Sam, yes, of course, it’s the landlord’s responsibility. It sounds like she’s being extremely difficult about this. It makes me so upset and angry how landlords just make things so difficult for tenants in India at times. We ended up moving, and our water problem never got fixed. With the overhead water tank in our last apartment, the water only came out of one small tap in the bathroom. I’m sorry, I really don’t have much advice for you. Lack of proper regulation often means that landlords and building societies get away with behaving how they want.
PS: She’s got the power of attorney but she’s not technically my direct landlord. She wont’ give me their number either, don’t i have the right to speak to my direct landlord? or is that right over-ridden since she has the power of attorney?
Power of attorney gives someone the legal right to act on the behalf of another. So she has the legal right to handle all affairs in regards to the apartment. Do you know any influential person that you could call in about the matter? Maybe even speak to a newspaper. They’re always after stories of problems with landlords and tenants. Perhaps ask some of your work colleagues how they would handle the situation (there has to be an Indian way of dealing with it!).
Hi Sharell,
Thanks so much for your response. I just saw this. I got it fixed but I had to go through hell with her, sooooo much drama for such a small tiny issue!! But thanks!