Mumbai Rains: Water Stock Rises To Over 95% As Heavy Rainfall Batters City

Mumbai: Mumbai’s water stock has climbed closer to full capacity after incessant rainfall over the past 24 hours, ensuring a comfortable buffer for the city’s water needs. According to the Hydraulic Engineer’s Department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the seven lakes supplying water to the metropolis recorded a combined stock of 13.76 lakh million litres (ML) as of 6 am on Wednesday, August 20. This amounts to nearly 95.12 per cent of their total capacity of 14.47 lakh ML.

The civic data shows that between 8.30 am on Tuesday and 6 am on Wednesday, the Bhandup Complex, which houses most of Mumbai’s water treatment facilities, received 246 mm of rainfall, taking its cumulative seasonal tally to 2,235 mm. All seven lakes, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Tulsi, Vihar, Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna and Middle Vaitarna, reported major inflows.

Details On Water Stock In All Lakes

Bhatsa, the largest contributor to Mumbai’s water supply, holds 7.1 lakh ML of stock, which is 99.6 per cent of its capacity. Tulsi and Vihar, two smaller lakes located within city limits, are also brimming, with storage levels at 98.3 and 99.6 per cent, respectively. Tulsi Lake began overflowing on August 16, while Vihar Lake started overflowing on August 18.

Tansa and Modak Sagar have already touched the 100 per cent mark. Tansa began overflowing on July 23, while Modak Sagar started overflowing on August 9. The Middle Vaitarna lake, which had been lagging earlier this month, has also improved significantly and is now at 96.9 per cent of live storage.

Upper Vaitarna, another key lake, is at 91.8 per cent of its storage. Releases from the lake, which were ongoing until early August, were stopped on August 7 after levels stabilised.

This sharp rise in lake levels comes on the back of heavy showers across Mumbai and its catchment areas since the beginning of the week. On Tuesday alone, several suburbs recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall.

The BMC, however, maintained that while the immediate threat of water cuts has been averted, judicious use of water remains essential as the monsoon season progresses.