Ransai dam storage capacity down, Uran may face scarcity

Navi Mumbai: Uran is anticipating water scarcity in the coming days, as the proposal for raising the height of Ransai dam has been pending since many years, residents said.
“As the dam was not de-silted for many years, its storage capacity has decreased. This has caused in water scarcity in Uran. Every family in the area needs 300-400 litres of water daily but they get only 150-200 litres of water,” said Nitin Deshmukh, a resident.
A senior civic official said that the MIDC proposal for raising the dam’s height has been stuck in red tape.
“For the purpose of raising the height, the government must acquire some land owned by the tribal community. This issue has not been resolved since the last 15 years,” the official added.
Uran Municipal Council (UMC) president, Ganesh Shinde, claimed that the water supply was stable in the city. “Except for Friday, which is an industrial holiday, water supply is normal on the other six days. UMC will follow up with MIDC to raise the height of Ransai dam,” he added.
Built by MIDC around 45 years ago, the Ransai dam is the prime source of water supply for 35 gram panchayats, the areas under UMC and also major government installations such as JNPT, Indian Navy, ONGC, and Indian Oil Tanking Limited, which are located in the port city.
Apart from Ransai dam, water is also tapped from Punade dam, which is controlled by the irrigation department.
In spite of these two dams in Uran taluka, water scarcity is a regular feature during summer, residents said.
Officials from UMC said that 65% of Ransai’s water is distributed to Central government installations in Uran, and the remaining 35 percent is supplied to 35 gram panchayats.
“Since the population is increasing we need more water in the city and panchayat areas. However, the authorities are being accused of lethargy by residents for not raising the height of Ransai dam,” said a civic official.