Mumbai: When 864 families received the keys to their new apartments in the redeveloped Naigaon BDD Chawl complex from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during a glittering ceremony on March 16 this year, the buildings did not have an active water connection, according to documents accessed by residents under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The Naigaon BDD Chawl redevelopment project, being executed by the Mumbai Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), is one of the biggest rehabilitation initiatives of the Maharashtra government. “That is why we advised them to lay an internal water main from a separate pipeline. This was not done. However, this clause was allegedly bypassed, and both the BMC and Mhada proceeded with an inadequate connection.
Under the project, thousands of eligible families are being moved from 160-sq-ft rooms in century-old, low-rise chawls to new 500-sq-ft flats in high-rises. Civic officials said the 150 mm pipeline was old and already services multiple other localities. The complex was supposed to receive 643,000 litres of water daily, according to the water requirement plan submitted by Mhada to the BMC. However, records show that actual supply remained well below this requirement, at around 400,000 to 450,000 litres a day. This left the complex facing a massive daily deficit of nearly 200,000 litres. Civic officials said the NOCs issued by the HE department in June 2025 and August 2026 required the developer to lay an internal water main at the complex’s access point at its own expense, and commission it before an occupation certificate (OC) could be issued. “The keys of 864 tenements in towers 4 to 8 were handed over in the presence of the chief minister on March 16 after completion of the water connections and cleaning and chlorination of the water storage tanks. Subsequently, the remaining 537 tenements were handed over from June onwards. Presently, all 1,401 tenements are receiving water through two sanctioned 100 mm BMC connections.
On some days, it fell to 300,000 litres due to regional water cuts and compounding low pressure.
“The documents of water connection application by Mhada points to gross negligence and a failure to comply with key conditions of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) granted by the HE department for phase 1,” said Vishal Mohite, a member of the ad hoc housing committee. As occupancy increased, residents expectedly began complaining about severe water shortages,” said a BMC official, requesting anonymity. The terms clearly stated that water supply would only be provisioned after this condition was met, said a BMC official. Hence, the allegation that possession was handed over without securing water connections is factually incorrect,” the official said, requesting anonymity. A second Mhada official, however, acknowledged the water shortage and said the authority was working to resolve the problem.
