Mumbai plans sound-based leak detection as water losses reach 1,394 MLD

Mumbai’s civic administration plans to use sound-based technology to identify underground water leaks and substantially accelerate pipeline replacement as the city faces a 10 per cent water cut following deficient rainfall.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) estimates that around 34 per cent of the water it supplies, equivalent to approximately 1,394 million litres per day (MLD), is lost through leakages and water theft.

Mumbai’s water pipeline network stretches for nearly 6,000 km, much of which is decades old. The civic body currently replaces around 60–70 km of pipelines annually and wants to increase the rate to between 250 km and 300 km a year.

One of the proposed interventions involves Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) technology to help pinpoint underground leakages. The technology uses sound waves to detect objects and identify changes beneath the surface, reported The Indian Express.

Additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar told The Indian Express that identifying the precise source of a leak can be difficult. Water may emerge on a road some distance from the damaged section of the pipeline, forcing engineers to excavate multiple locations before finding the actual fault.

The civic body expects sound-based detection to help narrow down the location of leaks, reduce exploratory digging and limit repeated damage to roads during repair work.

BMC aims to increase pipeline replacement to approximately 5–6 per cent of the existing network annually, compared with around 1 per cent at present. The intention is to replace 25–30 per cent of the ageing network over the next four years.

The administration is also considering an expansion of its Water for All policy, introduced in 2021 to provide formal connections to slum settlements and bring more households into the official supply network.

According to BMC figures, 35,697 applications have been received under the policy, and 29,110 water connections have been provided.

The civic body is in the process of appointing a consultant to assess the feasibility of the proposed interventions and prepare a detailed report within six months. Implementation is planned to begin around the middle of 2027.

Mumbai requires approximately 4,600 MLD of water each day, while the BMC supplies around 4,100 MLD. Reducing losses from the distribution system could help improve the amount of water reaching consumers without relying entirely on additional supplies.

The SONAR proposal remains under assessment. Its deployment will depend on the feasibility study and subsequent implementation decisions.