Mumbai: With 1,514 complaints of contaminated water supply in the first eight months of 2026, the BMC has introduced a new standard operating procedure (SOP) mandating a round-the-clock response to such complaints.The move comes in the backdrop of the civic body’s Environment Status Report 2025-26 showing that the proportion of contaminated water samples across Mumbai had declined to 0.28% in 2025-26 from 0.46% in each of the previous two years, indicating that the problem has reduced overall but persists in several pockets. For instance, B ward, covering Dongri and Umarkhadi, recorded the highest proportion of contaminated samples at 4.03% in 2025-26, up from 3.2% in 2024-25 and 1% in 2023-24. H-East, covering Bandra East, Khar East and Santacruz East, also saw a sharp increase, with contaminated samples rising to 3.11% from 1.6% in 2024-25 and 1.7% in 2023-24.The SOP, announced at the civic standing committee meeting on Wednesday and issued by the hydraulic engineering department, lays down a coordinated response involving ward-level water supply officials, leak detection teams, sewerage and storm-water drainage departments, solid waste management and the municipal health department — from the time a complaint is received until the source of contamination is traced, repaired and the water is certified safe.The need for a tighter response is particularly evident in B ward and H-East, where contamination levels rose despite the citywide decline. B ward, covering Dongri and Umarkhadi, recorded the highest proportion of contaminated samples at 4.03% in 2025-26, up from 3.2% in 2024-25, while H-East, covering Bandra East, Khar East and Santacruz East, recorded 3.11%, compared with 1.6% the previous year.The new SOP identifies leaking service connections as one of the key vulnerabilities in the distribution network. According to the BMC, water connections passing through drains, house gullies or marshy soil can corrode and develop leaks, allowing contaminated external water to enter the supply system. The problem can worsen when drains and storm-water drains are surcharged.The SOP also calls for residents and local public representatives to be alerted and advised to strain and boil water before consumption until the contamination is resolved. The concerned medical officer of health has to keep the affected area under observation and provide preventive or curative assistance where required.Additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar, who presented the SOP before the standing committee, said that in the current situation, leakages reported have civic staff working on them continuously till the issue is addressed. “However, if manpower is increased, we can address the issue pertaining to water leakages more effectively,” he said.
