Thane/ Navi Mumbai/ Kalyan: Lakhs of residents across major urban pockets of Thane district, including Thane city, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur along with Taloja in neighbouring Raigad, will have to endure a 36-hour water shutdown till Saturday afternoon following a shutdown announced by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) that supplies water to these cities.The cuts, which are likely to have started post midnight, threaten to become a regular feature for these cities, triggering fears of prolonged shortages and a surge in tanker dependence at a time when Maharashtra is also gearing up for a challenging water-scarce year ahead.The shutdown was necessitated as MIDC has notified the suspension of supply from its Jambhul Water Purification Centre. A Thane civic official said the enforcement was a preventive measure prompted by concerns following the early and comparatively weak monsoon withdrawal and the El Niño effect.In Thane, Diva, Kalwa, parts of Mumbra, Majiwada-Manpada and Wagle wards that depend on MIDC supply will be affected. The civic body may divert water from STEM, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and its own network to ease the impact. The entire Taloja node will also face the shutdown, along with Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur.In Thane’s upscale residential complexes, erratic civic supply has already forced many households to rely on tankers, adding to monthly expenses. The demand for packaged drinking water has surged.“We are spending lakhs to source tanker water in addition to paying water taxes, EMIs and monthly maintenance,” said a Ghodbunder complex resident. Thane BJP corporator Sanjay Waghule has sought a stop to water supply to swimming pools and car-wash centres till the situation eases.Taloja residents questioned the expansion of mass housing without assured water supply. In the extended Thane suburbs, the shift of the weekly shutdown from 24 to 36 hours has already raised fears of prolonged disruption that could stretch to three days.
