Mumbai: Tulsi Lake Overflows Amid Heavy Rains, Boosts Water Stock

Tulsi Lake, situated in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, began overflowing at 8:30 am on Saturday, marking the first among seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai. This lake contributes only 18 million litres (ML) of water to the city's daily supply. The recent heavy rains have substantially increased the total water stock across all seven lakes to 40.96 or 5.92 lakh ML of their combined capacity. 

Tulsi and Vihar lakes, both within the city, have particularly benefited from the recent downpours. According to civic data, Tulsi Lake received 151 mm of rainfall, while Vihar Lake recorded 96 mm on Saturday. Tulsi is the smallest among Mumbai's lakes, with a maximum storage capacity of 8,046 million litres. Last year, this lake started overflowing at 1.28 am on the same day, July 20. The civic body is mulling over increasing the capacity of the existing water treatment plant from the current 18 ML to 25 ML per day.

The city's annual water requirement totals 14.47 lakh million litres. BMC calculations indicate that each percentage point of water stock translates to three days of water supply. Currently, BMC supplies 3,900 million litres of water per day to the city. The civic body has imposed a 10% water cut in Mumbai from June 5. With the current water stock, the city's water supply is expected to last for the next 150 days.