Govt should subsidise water-supply: Phatak

Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Dr. Jairaj Phatak, well-known for his scholastic bent of mind and out-of-box solutions, asks: 'If the government can subsidize kerosene supply, why should it not subsidize water supply? The poor indeed depend on kerosene for fuel; but water is the most critical resource needed for their life -- for health, as well as and hygiene'.

Dr Phatak was addressing an interactive meeting on "Problems of Urbanization: Mumbai's Development." President Niraj Bajaj felicitated him and introduced to the audience. IMC's Mumbai Development Committee Chairman Nanik Rupani introduced the theme. Vice President M N Chaini said that citizens of Mumbai could rely on Dr Phatak to resolve most of the basic problems of Mumbai.

Dr Phatak began by saying that the Commissioner's role in the Municipal Corporation was akin to the Chief Minister's role in the State legislature; and Mayor's role was comparable to that of the Speaker.

He said the "India Urban Report', which was released a couple of days ago by Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said that India's urban population growth rate between 1991-2001 had slowed down, in comparison to rural population growth rate. This could be due to the falling rate of fertility in cities, or because of the reluctance of village panchayats to upgrade themselves into Nagar panchayats.

India had 28% urban population, while China had 40%, and Brazil had 82%. Maharashtra State had 42% urban population, which was comparable to China. In respect of poverty, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were in no better position than Orissa and UP. Goa and Punjab enjoyed much higher status. "Also poverty ratio in urban areas is higher than that in rural areas of India, " Dr Phatak pointed out.

Throwing light on the problems of urbanization, particularly in Mumbai, he said four critical areas - water supply, sewerage, stormwater drains, and roads -- called for urgent action. There were also two other problem areas -- mushrooming slum and traffic clogging the roads -- which were primarily being tackled by the Slum Rehousing Authority (SRA) and by the MSRDC as well as MMRDA.

Indeed there were also other critical civic responsibilities in areas such as education, healthcare, octroi, property tax etc. For tackling the water problem, the BMC was implementing projects such as Bhatsa Phase-III and Middle Vaitarna reservoires, which would enable to it supply water using gravity force to Mumbai, which was at lower altitude. Only 51% of Mumbai's population enjoyed the facility of sewers. The solution to the sewerage problem depended on water supply, because sewerage pipelines could be laid only where water supply lines were available. And the BMC did not subsidize the septic tank system.

As for the problem of stormwater drains, Mumbai faced peculiar problems. Unlike other major international cities, Mumbai got very heavy rains in only four months every year, which required a huge capacity drainage. Besides, the city being surrounded by the sea, the city's low-lying drain pipes usually got inundated by the tidal backwater, thus preventing drainage. "We are required to find radical solution to such issues," he said.

Mumbai's municipal schools catered to the needs of four lakh students, belonging to the lower and middle class families. The civic body also operated major hospitals, as well as the medical colleges mainly to benefit the poor..Dr Phatak said, population density in Mumbai was the heaviest in the world -- next only to that in Tokyo. The government should have given greater priority to building Sewri-Navi Mumbai Bridge over the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, because the former would have helped to reduce population density in South Mumbai.