Water cuts in Thane and Bhiwandi: 36-hour shutdown in Diva, Mumbra, Kalwa and parts of Thane from tonight; Bhiwandi to go without water for 18 hours every Wednesday

The state’s 10 per cent water cut has now reached household taps in Thane district. According to a Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) notice, the Jambhul treatment plant run by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will stop sending water at 12 midnight tonight, Thursday 22 October, and resume at 12 noon on Saturday, 24 October: a full 36 hours. Next door, the Bhiwandi civic body has set an 18-hour shutdown every Wednesday.

Which parts of Thane are affected?

The areas listed in the TMC notice, by ward committee:

• Diva ward committee: all areas
• Kalwa ward committee: all areas
• Mumbra ward committee: all 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

The schedule at a glance

• Thane, supply stops: Thursday 22 October, 12 midnight
• Thane, supply resumes: Saturday 24 October, 12 noon
• Thane, afterwards: low pressure for the next one to two days
• Bhiwandi, supply stops: every Wednesday, 9 am to 3 am on Thursday (18 hours), ward committees 1 to 5
• Bhiwandi, afterwards: low pressure for the following day

Why is the water being turned off?

This is not a repair shutdown; it is part of the water cut. TMC says weak post-monsoon rain, the effect of El Niño and the monsoon’s early retreat in October led to a 10 per cent cut under a government decision. Diva, Mumbra, Kalwa, Majiwada-Manpada and parts of Wagle are supplied through MIDC, which is why these are the areas that go dry when the Jambhul plant stops.

Under an order issued by the Water Resources Department on 5 October, every urban local body in the state must cut water use by at least 10 per cent from 16 October and plan dam stocks so that drinking water lasts until 31 August 2027, ETV Bharat and Saam TV reported.

Will this happen every week? On 14 October, MIDC’s Dombivli division said that for Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar, Barvi dam water from the Jambhul plant would be shut every week from Thursday midnight to Saturday noon starting 22 October, the Free Press Journal reported. TMC’s current notice, however, covers only 22 to 24 October; its later notices will show whether Thane gets the same weekly schedule.

Bhiwandi: 18 hours every Wednesday

A notice issued on 21 October by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation says a 10 per cent cut has applied in the city since 16 October because of the water shortage in the state. Under it, ward committees 1 to 5 will go without water each Wednesday between 9 am and 3 am the next day, followed by a day of low-pressure supply. Sandeep Patnawar, executive engineer of the corporation’s water supply department, announced the schedule in a press note, according to reports.

The STEM water authority, which supplies Bhiwandi, made the cut on the Irrigation Department’s instructions. It has also told the corporation to run its sewage treatment plants at full capacity, use treated water for gardens, road dividers, construction and washing, and wants industries to put at least 30 per cent of their water back into use. The notice does not say how long the Wednesday schedule will last.

What you should do

• If you live in one of the Thane areas above, fill up drinking and daily-use water before midnight tonight.
• Supply returns on Saturday afternoon, but pressure will stay low for a day or two, so don’t run your stored water down completely.
• In Bhiwandi, fill tanks and containers on Tuesday night or before 9 am on Wednesday.
• Keep stored water covered, and don’t use drinking water to wash vehicles or courtyards.
• Neither corporation’s notice gives a tanker helpline number; if you are in difficulty, contact your ward committee office.
• Both corporations have asked residents to use water sparingly and cooperate.

Sources: Thane Municipal Corporation (notice on X, 21 October); Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (water cut notice); Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (shutdown notice); Free Press Journal (Thane); Free Press Journal (Bhiwandi); Free Press Journal (MIDC weekly shutdowns); Lokmat; Saam TV (state order); ETV Bharat (state order)