Dry Days: Water Shortage In Mumbai

With officials deciding to shutdown the city's water system for 24 hours to make repairs, Mumbaikars creatively meet the challenges of daily life without running water for a day.

1 minute read

December 28, 2006, 7:00 AM PST

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera


To rejuvinate Mumbai's aging infrastructure and add to the city's water supply, the city's Municipal Commissioner is trying to improve its water lines, all in one day.

"Mumbai supplies 3200 million litres of water for 18 million people every day."

"Authorities gave notice of their decision and asked people to stock up on water ahead of the shutdown."

"After the warning, people stood in long lines on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning to collect water from public taps and water tankers. They stored water in buckets, vessels and even plastic pouches."

Thanks to Nandita Godbole

Wednesday, December 27, 2006 in BBC News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?

With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” philosophy.

2 hours ago - Transportation for America

Group of e-scooters messily parked on street in London with black cab in background.

The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t

Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.

3 hours ago - Bloomberg CityLab

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

4 hours ago - Outdoor Life