The Mumbai Water Tanker Association has indefinitely suspended water supply in Mumbai after the BMC demanded NOCs from well owners supplying non-potable water to tankers.

NEW DELHI: The Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) on Thursday suspended water supply across the city indefinitely after the BMC issued notices to owners of private wells supplying non-potable water to tankers.
The civic body has directed well owners to obtain a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), warning that existing permissions will be revoked if wells continue to be used without clearance.
However, the association has pushed back, arguing that CGWA’s NOC is required only for potable water, whereas the tankers in question draw non-potable water.
With no immediate resolution in sight, the suspension is expected to severely impact star hotels, high-rises, informal settlements, and key infrastructure projects like Metro rail, bullet train, and road concretisation that rely on tanker water.
“We are ready to follow the rules, but there should be a proper system in place. CGWA has no office in Mumbai and doesn’t respond to our calls,” said Ankur Sharma, MWTA spokesperson. “It is the BMC that is forcing us to stop our business. The impact will be citywide.”
One of the notices issued by the pest control officer of BMC’s K-East Ward warned well owners of license revocation, calling the ongoing supply via tankers an “infringement” of earlier undertakings.
The deadlock mirrors a similar crisis last year when the city faced a five-day disruption in water supply following an MWTA strike.