Mumbai’s heavy dependence on water tankers and groundwater was highlighted once again during a recent tanker strike. The article argues for the inclusion of groundwater in the city’s urban water planning, which has been ignored for decades by planners and engineers. The proposed bureaucratic regulation of groundwater—limited to permits and no-objection certificates for water extraction—needs to be much broader, people-centric, and conservation-focused. Moreover, a shift in law to treat groundwater as a shared resource, not private property, is essential for sustainable and equitable water management.