Water Mafia of Mumbai #02: Genuine Concern or Exaggeration?
Vivek Agrawal
Mumbai, 16 August 2019
Is the escalating issue of water theft and smuggling truly a significant concern, or merely an exaggerated fuss?
This comprehensive analysis delves into the world of the Water Tanker Mafia operating in Mumbai. The residents of India’s sprawling metropolis, Mumbai, grapple with the severe scarcity of potable water for their everyday needs. In response to this dire shortage, an illicit network of water tankers has emerged, operating in tandem with certain factions within the Mumbai.
These tankers clandestinely supply water to the city’s populace. This investigative series endeavors to shed light on the inner workings of this network, tracing its origins, organizational structure, and its intricate integration within Mumbai’s infrastructural landscape.
By placing the Mumbai water tanker syndicate within the broader framework of corruption and public services, this series unravels the complex dynamic that addresses the city’s fundamental infrastructural deficiencies.
Water, the essence of life, faces a paradoxical treatment in Mumbai. The custodians of India’s largest urban center and maritime gateway appear to disregard the sanctity of existence.
Within Mumbai, the quality of water has reached a lamentable state. When the city’s inhabitants turn on their faucets, the water that flows is, at best, suitable solely for personal and material hygiene. In the worst instances, not a drop emerges. This metropolis, as the capital of Maharashtra, has thoroughly outpaced its own infrastructure.
Mumbai, once a city that burgeoned, has not simply expanded but rather detonated in population. As India’s paramount port urban hub, Mumbai’s demographic surge has been nothing short of exponential since the nation’s independence.
Yet, this sprawling city, officially accommodating over 15 million people, grapples with the scourge of non-potable tap water. In areas unlinked to the established water distribution grid, which is a pervasive issue, the populace turns to the syndicate of water tankers when drinkable water remains elusive.
Mumbai, along with the entirety of Maharashtra, and possibly extending to the broader expanse of India, finds itself ensnared by what is commonly referred to as the “tanker mafia.”
For a more profound comprehension of this phenomenon, directing our attention towards Mumbai is imperative. This is attributed to Mumbai’s status as a prominent urban center, marked by substantial economic output, considerable water consumption, and the ready availability of water-related statistics.
The narrative unfolds through three illustrative accounts.
Let’s turn back the clock to 2014, when Devendra Fadnavis assumed the role of Maharashtra’s chief minister. A decisive decree was issued to halt the operation of tankers, resulting in a near eradication of their presence in Marathawada.
However, the present scenario has propelled us back into a reality that mirrors the past. A staggering resurgence is evident, as the very regions that witnessed the eradication of tankers now witness the return of approximately 6,200 of them – a staggering tenfold increase from their original count.
Zooming ahead to the recent fortnight, tragedy struck when a 16-year-old carrom player lost their life in a fatal collision involving a water tanker on the bustling streets of Mumbai. A cursory online search using platforms like Google or Bing, inputting the keywords “water tanker and deaths,” yields astonishing results. The sheer magnitude of fatalities attributed to water tankers in Mumbai and across India is both surprising and disconcerting.
Engage in a reality check. Position yourself atop a pedestrian bridge overlooking any bustling junction within Mumbai. Cast your gaze upon the water tankers navigating the labyrinthine traffic below. Take note of their audacious maneuvering, slicing through traffic lanes, and at times, blatantly disregarding traffic signals. Strangely, despite the omnipresent high-resolution cameras wielded by traffic officers, these transgressions often elude their attention.
Why does this transpire?
The answer is straightforward: tankers equate to profits. This symbiotic relationship frequently involves the collusion of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the police force (with elected bodies occasionally adopting complicit roles).
An unspoken but powerful logic governs this scenario. Many times, individuals connected to state authorities and even political figures possess and operate fleets of tanker trucks. Consequently, a subtle understanding emerges between these interests and the police, urging them to abstain from impeding tankers through inspections or legal notices. This understanding is rooted in the imperative that each tanker must fulfill a daunting quota of trips daily, ranging from 10 to 40. In the bustling domain of Mumbai and akin urban centers, tankers remain operational throughout the entire year. This perpetual operation is a direct result of municipal authorities orchestrating a controlled water supply, ensuring that adequate water doesn’t reach households and slums. This calculated scarcity coerces the populace into dependency on the water tanker service.
Exclusively within the confines of Mumbai, the tanker enterprise generates an annual revenue exceeding Rs. 1,000 crore (as indicated in the provided chart). However, this figure inadequately represents the actual magnitude, a discrepancy that the subsequent chart will elucidate.
Curiously, the origin of water for these tankers frequently traces back to the municipality itself. When it involves private ventures at the expense of the public coffers, the swiftness, efficacy, and synchronization are indeed noteworthy.
Diving into a more comprehensive panorama of Mumbai, it becomes evident that a more intricate narrative unfolds. This calls for abandoning overly simplistic portrayals. This realization emerges from the fact that Mumbai has the capacity to deploy a considerably greater number of tankers, thereby generating a significantly higher amount of untraceable finances on a daily basis.
This could potentially clarify the motivation behind the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) staff’s actions in restricting the access of ample water to residences and slums. An illuminating demonstration of this diversion of water can be discerned in the substantial figures related to non-revenue water (NRW), representing the water that vanishes without being accounted for due to factors like evaporation, distribution losses, and even theft.
To unravel this situation, our focus must shift towards the dataset providing an overview of the total water available to Mumbai from its encompassing catchment area. According to a compilation from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in October 2016, presented on page 24, “The total surface water potential of MHA is estimated to be 10,439 million cubic meters (MCM) at 75% dependability (or depth) and 7.869 MCM at 90% dependability.”
In Mumbai, the non-revenue water (NRW) stands at approximately 30 percent. Despite a state government target to reduce this to 15 percent, the NRW remains significantly high. In contrast, the most efficient states maintain NRW levels not exceeding 5 percent.
What does a supplementary 15 percent NRW entail? To comprehend this, examine the figures within the table outlining Mumbai’s water profile. Evidently, Mumbai has access to approximately 8,043 million cubic meters (MCM) of water from its catchment areas and lakes (Vaitarna, Ulhas, Patalganga, and Amba). Of this total, around 2,185 MCM is designated for irrigation, leaving the city with 5,858 MCM.
At a 15 percent NRW rate, roughly 2,407 million liters of water are unaccounted for daily. This volume equates to the water required for 240,740 truck trips. Assuming the lowest tariff trucks charge per delivery of 10,000 liters of water (Rs. 2,000), these trucks could be amassing a staggering Rs. 48 crore per day. This translates to an annual revenue of Rs. 17,574 crore.
Even with adjustments to these figures, the sum remains notably substantial, ranging between Rs. 8,000 crore and Rs. 10,000 crore, originating solely from Mumbai.
In the current context of drought-like conditions, an additional fleet of 6,200 tankers has been mobilized in areas prone to drought.
When factoring in tankers in other cities like Nagpur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, among others, along with the broader numbers across various states, the significance of the water tanker mafia within India’s political and bureaucratic spheres becomes abundantly evident.
This phenomenon also partially elucidates the allure of drought conditions. The potential for heightened financial gain becomes all the more enticing.
Next: Water Mafia of Mumbai #03: What are the Water Costs for Residents?
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