The Surya Regional Water Supply Scheme is set to begin in May, providing an additional 185 million liters of water to the suburbs of Vasai-Virar, which have been facing a water shortage crisis for over a decade. This scheme involves laying a 90-kilometer water pipeline from Surya Dam in Dhamani village to supply 403 million liters of water daily.
A water treatment plant is also being built in Palghar to address long-standing water supply issues in the area, with plans to commence water supply in June. This is a significant step towards ensuring adequate and reliable access to clean water for residents in these areas.
According to information obtained from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the population of the territories controlled by Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) increased from 12.22 lakhs in 2011 to 24 lakhs in 2023.
While the population has doubled, the civic body has not been able to keep up with the water supply, causing residents to live in scarcity for ten years. Those operating water tanker enterprises which are thriving in the suburbs have benefited from this problem. This situation is replicated in regions under the control of the 14 lakh-person Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC).
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is nearing completion of a water treatment plant in Palghar to address the water crisis in Vasai-Virar. Residents have been facing the issue of water shortage since the middle of 2020, which has only escalated since then.
Due to the acute shortage of water, thousands of illegal mineral water shops are flourishing in the area. The MMRDA is working on a project to bring water from the Surya River to the suburbs with an 88 km pipeline. Once complete, the new system will supply 403 MLD of water daily, with 218 MLD being supplied to Mira-Bhayander and 185 MLD to Vasai-Virar. The project is being handled by Larsen & Toubro and is set to cost INR 1,329 crores.
