The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, also known as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), supplies approximately 3.85 billion liters of water to Mumbai every day. The water supply system in Mumbai is one of the largest in the world and is managed by one of the oldest departments of MCGM (MCGM Water Bill), the Hydraulic Engineer Department. The city receives water from seven lakes and dams, where it is then treated in four sewage treatment plants in accordance with the drinking water standard of IS 10500: 2012 before it is dispatched to urban households.
ESSENTIAL THINGS TO NOTE IN MCGM WATER BILL DETAILS
MCGM uses billing software based on water billing rules to create consumption-based water bills. The charges vary according to the type of connection and the amount of water used like Household, commercial and industrial consumption, etc. The MCGM water bill or Bmc Water Bill is issued monthly or quarterly, based on the kiloliters consumed, which is then printed and sent to the consumer’s registered address via post. A thing to note is, though most of the registered connections in the city are metered, there are some exceptional cases where registration is done; however, the connection is not metered. The water tax is levied as a percentage of the property tax paid for connections without a water meter. If the water meter fails, the water meter inspector will issue an MCGM water bill after reviewing the status of the water meter, and it will be sanctioned by authorized personnel.
ABHAY YOJANA 2021 OF MCGM – AN OVERVIEW
Due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), municipal companies across the country are struggling to make ends meet, and the pandemic has affected businesses, citizens, and administration alike. Therefore, individuals who fail to pay the BMC water fee by the deadline will be fined 2% of the unpaid MCGM water fee. Initially, the plan was only launched for a short period of 3 months, but then the plan extended day by day, which helped beneficiaries to profit easily.
However, in order to relieve consumers, Abhay Yojana was relaunched in 2021. To enjoy Abhay Yojana services from April 7, 2021, to June 30, 2021, allowing them to pay for outstanding fees without interest. If the water bills are not paid after that duration, MCGM will cause permanent water cuts. Therefore, the BMC has decided to extend the term of office of Abhay Yojana. Due to the citizens’ wish, this was given priority, hence the civic body decided to approve the extension. Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar has urged citizens to use Abhay Yojana, especially during the pandemic, and help develop the city by logging into the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation website.
Consumers seeking benefits from Abhay Yojana 2021 must be abiding residents of Maharashtra. Firstly, the consumers would have to register themselves on the MCGM Billing website. They must have documents that are required to register online for the Abhay Yojana 2021 scheme. Some of the documents needed are:
■ Identity proof
■ Proof of residence
■ Registered mobile number
■ Passport-size photograph
MCGM WATER FEE RULES
A large part of MCGM‘s income comes from water taxes which are similar to property taxes. MCGM allocates up to 150 litres of water per person for household consumption and charges a nominal price of 5.22 rupees per 1,000 litres. According to the regulations, one can increase their water tax up to 8% each year. In the year 2019, the water tax was revised to 2.48%, increasing the water tax from 5.09 rupees per 1,000 litres to 5.22 rupees per 1,000 litres. Assuming that there are 5 people in the family, 750 litres of water is needed every day; however, in many communities in Mumbai, the daily water consumption exceeds 750 litres. In order to reduce water consumption and increase income, the MCGM’s management in October 2020 had proposed to impose a double tax on households using 750 to 1,000 litres per day, and a triple tax on households using 1,000 litres or more and four times for the usage of more than 1250 litres. Nevertheless, this proposal was vehemently rejected by the Civic Body Standing Committee.
MCGM Aqua – ONLINE PAYMENT WATER BILL
MCGM Water Bill payment has now been made easy with the option of an online bill payment system. To continue, first, log in to the MCGM website.
When you open the home page, a ticker is present on top of the page that shows the Abhay Yojana 2021 scheme running continuously with updates. Once the ticker is clicked, a PDF document opens which has details of the consumption limits for residential, businesses, and commercial entities. This is being circulated via the Hydraulic Engineer. This will lead to the following link-
https://aquaptax.mcgm.gov.in/aqua/CitizenHome.html
Upon clicking that, it will open the citizen login page, where if a login ID is already created, then the user can open the portal using just the ID or password. However, if there are no IDs created, then the user can go to the “Register” button and get themselves registered.
The Citizen Registration page of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai will ask for the consumer’s name, birth details, phone number, and consumer ID for verification, and a CAPTCHA Code. Then the CCN number or connection number needs to be entered. After which, the amount reflected in the water bill should be entered and the mode of payment to be selected is ‘Online’. Hit the submit button when there is a pop-up for the same. The preferred payment options will be shown: Credit Card, Debit Card, UPI, Internet Banking. Select and click on any one of them, then click on the ‘Pay Now’ button and ensure successful payment.
Also, one can pay for the MCGM water bills via NEFT or SBI-VAN transfer (supported on virtual bill fees). The details of the place of payment, including the invoice number and IFSC code, can be found in the final copy of the invoice. After adding a payee, one can use it to pay bills on a regular basis.
COMPLAINTS AND COMMENTS – MCGM WATER BILLS
■ If anyone has a complaint about payments made through the Bank of Baroda payment gateway, they can send an email to customer care via customercare@ccavenue.com.
■ Alternatively, a ticket can also be raised on the https://www.ccavenue.com website, by clicking on the “Contact Us” section or calling on the below-mentioned number 022-35155072 (working hours- Monday to Friday between 10 am and 6 pm).
■ For any payments regarding the State Bank of India gateway, an email can be sent to sbiepay@sbi.co.in or a call on (022-27535773/022-27523816, which is 24×7 customer care)
■ Other issues which are specifically related to payments can be addressed to the following email addresses-
aocash.wssd@mcgm.gov.in,aocashaqua.wssd@mcgm.gov.in, dycarev.wssd@mcgm.gov.in, ao.far@mcgm.gov.in
■ For queries of a technical aspect on the MCGM water bill site, send a direct email to siddesh.yejre@abmindia.com or virendra.badodiya@abmindia.com.
■ Any sort of feedback regarding the MCGM water bill should be given to: eemr.he@mcgm.gov.in
SOME KEY FACTS ABOUT MCGM WATER BILLS
In terms of customer service, they strive to provide their subscribers with the best service and ensure that the subscribers are satisfied with the services they provide. They will work hard from time to time to improve and update the system to meet the expectations of the connection owners. Their primary goal is to provide consistent service to ensure the satisfaction of all the consumers.
They are obligated to ensure that all Mumbai residents have access to water and recognize that a large part of the community lives in informal settlements. The water supply for these informal settlements is achieved through a common connection with General Washing Place or GWP with a minimum of 5 households. According to the current policy, slum dwellers who obtained a certificate of existence before January 1, 2000, are entitled to the water supply.
According to the HE shutdown procedure, HE will not disconnect the water supply unless there is a shutdown request or the consumer fails to pay the bill on time or wastewater, etc. However, section 279 of the MMC Act states that if the connection’s owner fails to repay the debt within the period specified in the notice, the connection to the water supply will be disconnected effectively.
In any apparent disconnection, the consumer can request reconnection after paying all outstanding bills and pay the reconnection fee and the modified deposit (if applicable). There will be a reconnection issued within 48 hours after full payment (Except holidays).
Their primary goal is to provide an uninterrupted, supervised water supply for everyone. However, sometimes residents may face power outages, mainly due to sudden network outages, network leaks, maintenance, etc. In such cases, they will let them know through various channels such as SMS/email/news channel and/or notification newspapers. In addition, restoring supply is their top priority, and they will take all possible measures to minimize the interruption time.
MCGM will work hard to ensure that the water connection to everyone’s property is efficient and inexpensive. The process of providing a new connection to the actual connection to the water supply from the date of receipt of the request will be completed within 15 working days if all the documents are in order. The connection to the water supply takes place on the Internet through their website. Citizens can apply for water supply through an online application. The list of documents required for the new connection is also displayed on the portal. Once the related documents are obtained, applicants can use a unique identifier (IDN) to check the status of their application in the portal.
Hydraulics is a part of the engineering that deals with the storage and supply of water. MCGM Water Engineering is responsible for the water supply in Mumbai. A water conservancy engineer is a full-time position and the head of a department called the Department of Water Conservancy Engineering.
The department takes care of everyone in the Mumbai water network. The Department of HE provides a healthy and adequate water supply to the residents of Mumbai. With the approval of the competent authority, they can implement the work of improving the water supply. They will also participate in various meetings for the general review of estimates made for this work and supervision of budget allocations. Collecting progress reports is another important duty. The various tasks performed provide necessary guidance for the on-site staff.
A few years back, to ensure 100% metering of water provided to consumers across the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to modify its existing water meter policy and replace it with improved electromagnetic and ultrasonic water meters. In addition, they also have plans to outsource the procurement process to several panel manufacturers, where customers can purchase meters directly.
FAQs
How big is the Mumbai Water Supply System?
It is one of the biggest in the world as well as being the second largest in Asia after Tokyo. Moreover, the Bhandup Sewage Treatment Plant is the largest of its kind in Asia (in terms of capacity).
How many valves are operated to distribute water?
More than 1000 valves are operated on a daily basis to provide clean, freshwater to at least 250 water supply zones in a regulated manner.
According to the MCGM water bill, when is Abhay Yojana valid?
The enterprise of Abhay Yojana started on April 7, 2021, and will last until June 30, 2021. After that, unpaid MCGM water fees will be paid and penalized.
What is the percentage of rebates given to the consumers who have made timely payments?
On behalf of the Municipal Corporation, the rebate given on timely payment is 5%.
Can citizens pay without utilizing the online payment option?
The payment can be made through cash or cheque, which can be deposited at civic headquarters or any of the registered eight ward offices and certain approved centres. Apart from these options, citizens can also avail the mobile app of the civic body called “NMMC e-Connect”, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
