Mumbai: Modak Sagar, one of the seven lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai, overflowed early Wednesday morning following heavy rainfall in its catchment area.
The rainfall has boosted water levels across the lakes, bringing the total combined stock to 10.50 lakh million litres (ML) which is 72.61% of the total storage capacity. According to civic officials, this current stock is estimated to be sufficient for the next 260 days, offering a major relief to the city.
Modak Sagar lake, located in Thane district, has become the first lake to overflow this monsoon, marking an earlier spill compared to last year, when it overflowed on July 25. The lake has the capacity to supply 385 crore litres of water daily to Mumbai.
As per officials, one of the sluice gates was opened by 1 foot, and water is currently being released at a rate of 1,022 cusecs (cubic feet per second) to manage the overflow.
Middle Vaitarna, another major lake supplying drinking water to Mumbai, has also recorded a sharp rise in water levels. On Monday, the dam reached 90% of its total storage capacity, forcing officials to open three gates to release excess water and prevent flooding.
As of now, the combined water stock in the seven lakes that supply Mumbai stands at 10.50 lakh ML a significant increase compared to 2.96 lakh ML on this day in 2024 and 3.34 lakh ML in 2023.
According to the BMC, the lakes need to collectively hold 14.47 lakh ML by October 1 to ensure uninterrupted water supply for the entire year. The BMC currently supplies 3,950 ML of water daily to meet the city's needs.
Total water stock in seven lakes on July 09...
Lakes.....current level ....overflow level (all figures in metres)
Upper Vaitarna..601.62.....603.51
Modak Sagar....163.14...163.15
Tansa...126.88......128.63
Middle Vaitarna....282.70...285
Bhatsa...131.20.....142.07
Vehar...77.23...80.12
Tulsi ...135.70....139.17
