[Reader-list] Where does rehabilitated slum dwellers get water from?

[tushar bhor]

6th Posting:  
Working Title: WATER LENSES 
Prelude for new imagination for urban water of Mumbai.
   
  Where does rehabilitated slum dwellers get water from?
   
  A story of private society:
The monthly maintenance and periodicals of the housing society is recently undertaken by the women's group living in the housing society itself. This particular society is located in Kausa (in Thane district of Mumbai Metropolitan Region). There are 84 units in the housing society, all shifted from the near by slums or dilapidated chawls into 1 Rm + Kitchen accommodation with the help of community based organization. As claimed by one of the women member that in past there were only elderly male members involved in the managing committee. The main concern with the society now is to clear the pending due of couple of lakhs, out of which large amount was incurred towards the electric bill for the pumps installed for supplying water within the premise. In addition to the pump used for pumping water from underground to overhead tank, suction pump is installed directly on the municipal water supply pipeline. The reason being, low pressure in the main line and according the
 members it is a normal practice of installing suction pump in the entire area. The society also has a water operator and his work is to maintain  and operate the water supply system within the society. The women's committee is now working on collection of the due from the residents thru effective management system and accounting process, where as the tools like suction pump and actor like water operator has become integral part of the system for routine life.
   
  A story of SRA scheme:
  Daily between 8-10 AM and 7-10 PM, the residents of Bldg No. 8 at Vashi Naka (located North of Mumbai and at the threshold of New Mumbai) queue up for water collection. The queue is not at the community tap, but for the private water vendor, who makes daily visits to the premise for providing water to the residents. It cost's  them around Rs.1/pot and in case if the residents are not in a position to carry the water upstairs, an extra of Rs.3-5 /pot is charged by the vendor. The building faces this problem since its establishment under the Slum Rehabilitation Association (SRA) scheme (under the government of Maharashtra). The building is provided by the physical infrastructure of pipelines to individual houses and also overhead and underground tank, but does not have the municipal water supply. One of the main reasons is that this SRA scheme is developed on the higher level and therefore the municipal water does not reach the site thru gravitational force. The society
 also gets some water from the nearby well situated in the masjid, where the owners of the well are kind enough to give water without any charges. On other hand the enterprise of water vendors is largely prospering, where BMC provided community connection becomes the source of supply and employed water vendors ride the pots on the bicycle to the needed site.   

  cheers


TUSHAR BHOR
ARCHITECT and INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER.

Residence Address: 
10/60, Madhu Sadan,Sion(w),Mumbai–400022,Maharashtra,India.
Tel. No: +91 22 24083828.
Mobile: +91 98190 35176.
E mail: tushar_bhor at yahoo.com
 		
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