Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that repair work on the 1,450 mm diameter Tansa (East) water channel will take place from Thursday, 26 September 2024, at 10 PM to Friday, 27 September 2024, at 5 PM. This critical maintenance will be carried at Senapati Bapat Marg in Mumbai’s G North civic ward and will result in water supply disruptions in across G South and G North wards.

The civic body has provided the list of affected areas in G wards. The supply to the nearby areas of these wards may also be affected. The BMC has notified residents of the affected areas to be prepared for either complete or partial water cuts during these 19 hours.

List Of Areas Where Water Supply Will Be Disrupted

In G South, the areas of Curry Road, Sakharam Bala Pawar Marg, Mahadev Palav Marg, Lower Parel, Delisle Road, and BDD Chawl will experience a complete water supply cut during the daily supply hours of 4:30 AM to 7:45 AM. Similarly, N. M. Joshi Marg and BDD Chawl will face a full supply shut down between 2:30 PM and 3:00 PM.

For G North, areas such as Prabhadevi, Adarsh Nagar, P. Balu Marg, Hatiskar Marg, Marathe Marg, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Senapati Bapat Marg, N. M. Joshi Marg, and Ganpatrao Kadam Marg will see a 33 percent reduction in water supply during the daily hours of 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Additionally, parts of Senapati Bapat Marg, Veer Savarkar Marg, Gokhale Marg, Kakasaheb Gangeel Marg, Sayani Marg, and Bhawani Shankar Marg will also experience a similar 33 percent supply reduction during the same period.

Use Water Sparingly

The repairs, which will take place from 10:00 PM on Thursday, 26 September 2024, until 5:00 PM on Friday, 27 September 2024, will impact water availability in certain neighborhoods. The BMC has urged all residents in the affected areas to store sufficient water in advance and to use it judiciously during the repair period.

It has also issued an appeal to all citizens in these localities to store sufficient water and use it sparingly throughout the duration of the repairs.

A political storm is brewing in Mumbai as the Sambhaji Brigade has voiced strong objections to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction’s consideration of former municipal councilor Pravina Morajkar for the Kurla constituency.

Accusations Made By Sambhaji Brigade Against Pravina Morajkar

The Brigade has accused Morajkar of exploiting the Atrocities Act to file baseless complaints against members of the Maratha community, prompting them to formally urge the Shiv Sena leadership to rethink her candidacy.

President Of Sambhaji Brigade’s Mumbai Chapter Underscores The Gravity Of The Situation

In a letter addressed to Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, the president of the Sambhaji Brigade’s Mumbai chapter underscored the gravity of the situation. They allege that during her time in office, Morajkar falsely accused over 11 individuals from the Maratha community of atrocities, aiming to harass them and damage their reputations.

The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, intended to safeguard marginalized communities, is at the center of this debate. The Sambhaji Brigade claims that Morajkar has misused this law to wrongfully implicate Maratha individuals, leading to considerable distress within the community.

Brigade Calls For Shiv Sena (UBT) To Withdraw Plans To Nominate Morajkar

In light of these allegations, the Brigade has called for the Shiv Sena (UBT) to withdraw any plans to nominate Morajkar, arguing that a candidate accused of weaponizing legal protections against a specific group should not be allowed to run for office. They fear that endorsing her could further alienate the Maratha community, which has raised alarms over the misuse of protective laws.

This controversy comes at a crucial time as Maharashtra approaches upcoming elections, igniting a broader discussion about the misuse of laws meant to protect vulnerable populations and its implications for community relations. The Maratha community, a key demographic in the state, has been advocating for recognition and rights, and the allegations against Morajkar have intensified these tensions.

Currently, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has yet to respond to the Sambhaji Brigade’s letter or the accusations against Morajkar.

Mumbai: A torrential downpour accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning ravaged the suburban areas of Mumbai and its neighboring districts during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Orange alert for Mumbai for today, cautioning of heavy to extremely heavy precipitation and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations.

For Wednesday, along with Mumbai, an orange alert has been issued for Palghar, Thane, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Ahmednagar, and Washim, anticipating heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and dust winds. Meanwhile, Raigad and Pune are on red alert on Wednesday, predicting extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations.

The IMD has also issued a red alert for Palghar on September 26, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations.

The city experienced a prolonged dry spell before the rains made a comeback on Monday morning, with the intensity escalating during the late hours. Similar rain pattern was observed on Tuesday.

On Tuesday evening, after 5:30 PM, heavy rain swept across Mumbai’s city district, eastern and western suburbs, as well as Thane and Navi Mumbai. The downpour, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, began in the evening and persisted throughout the night.

The water storage in the seven lakes catering to Mumbai’s water needs surged to 98.28 per cent or 14.22 lakh million litres of the total capacity on Tuesday morning. The official date of monsoon withdrawal in Mumbai is October 10.

IMD Chief Sunil Kamble stated, “There was thunderstorm activity accompanied by lightning owing to the prevailing weather conditions, which are highly conducive for thunder activity.” He added that thunderstorm activity is typically restricted to specific areas only and is also a characteristic of the retreating monsoon.

The southwest monsoon has already commenced its withdrawal, and on Tuesday, the IMD announced its withdrawal from some more parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, as well as some parts of Punjab and Haryana. The reason for the wet spell for the week is also a low-pressure system that has formed over West central Bay of Bengal and adjoining Northwest Bay off north Andhra – south Odisha coasts.

Kamble further elaborated, “This low-pressure system is expected to move upwards, and hence for September 26, the weather bureau has issued a red alert for Palghar, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations being highly likely.”

On Tuesday, September 24, from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Mumbai recorded light rainfall, with Colaba receiving just 0.4 mm and Santacruz registering 1.9 mm. While the city experienced minimal rainfall, other regions saw higher amounts, including Pune with 19.2 mm, Nashik with 10.2 mm, and Mahabaleshwar with 7.6 mm. Kolhapur and Parbhani both recorded 8.3 mm, Baramati and Matheran saw 6 mm, while Harnai and Solapur registered lower rainfall at 0.8 mm and 1.9 mm, respectively.