Overview

• The Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) ended its four-day strike after assurances from the BMC to mediate with the central government over contentious groundwater extraction rules.
• The strike had severely disrupted water supply to residential, commercial, and institutional sectors, with many residents resorting to bottled water and rationing municipal supplies.
• The MWTA's demands include revoking penalties, scrapping a 200-meter buffer zone around wells, allowing road parking during water filling, and ensuring BMC installation of digital flow meters.
• To mitigate the crisis, the BMC invoked the Disaster Management Act, requisitioning private tankers and wells to ensure water availability during the summer season.
• While the strike has been called off, the regulatory disagreements over Central Ground Water Authority guidelines remain unresolved, with a resolution expected before the June 15 deadline.