Sharmila Thackeray, the wife of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, participated in the protest and claimed that the project had been ready for inauguration for five months but was awaiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation.
Maharashtra water crisis: The struggle for access to water in Thane’s Vihigaon
She suggested that if the PM could not physically attend the event in Virar, he should consider inaugurating it virtually.
Sharmila emphasized that residents had been facing a severe water shortage for over a week, and the delayed project was leaving the region’s population thirsty.
The Surya Regional Water Supply Scheme, completed in June, was designed to provide 100MLD of water to the Vasai region in its first phase. Despite a daily supply of 230MLD, residents experienced shortages of over 140MLD, resulting in water unavailability for several days.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) managed the project, aiming to supply bulk water to the Vasai region and Mira-Bhayander.
The scheme involves drawing raw water from the Kawadas pickup weir, located downstream of the Surya dam in Dahanu taluka. This water is then conveyed to the water treatment plant at Surya Nagar in Veti village.
Multiple protests have taken place in the region demanding the release of water from the Surya project. Palghar MP Rajendra Gavit met chief minister Eknath Shinde to request the project’s inauguration. There were speculations that PM Modi might inaugurate the Surya project during his Navi Mumbai visit on October 30, coinciding with the inauguration of the Navi Mumbai metro, which has now been postponed to the following month.
