Mumbai Water Supply: Lakes at 99.26% Capacity
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently announced that the water levels in Mumbai’s seven reservoirs, which provide the city with potable water, have reached an impressive 99.26 percent capacity. This is a significant milestone for the city, ensuring a stable water supply for its residents in the coming days.
The combined water stock of the Mumbai lakes currently stands at 14,36,637 million litres, which is nearly at full capacity. The lakes that contribute to Mumbai’s water supply include the Upper and Middle Vaitarnas, Bhatsa, Tansa, Vihar, Tulsi, and Modak Sagar. Among these lakes, Bhatsa, Tulsi, and Vihar lakes have reached 100 percent accessibility of their water stock, ensuring a steady flow of water to the city.
Tansa’s water level is also at a high of 98.85 percent, while Modak-Sagar has 95.35 percent of its water stock accessible. Middle Vaitarna stands at 98.93 percent, and Upper Vaitarna at 99.58 percent of useful water level availability. These numbers indicate a healthy water reserve for Mumbai, especially during the monsoon season when heavy rains can put a strain on the city’s water supply.
In recent weeks, heavy rains have caused some of the lakes supplying water to Mumbai to overflow. Middle Vaitarna Lake started overflowing on July 4, followed by Vihar and Modak Sagar on July 25. Tansa Lake also began to overflow on July 24, increasing the water storage in all seven reservoirs significantly.
Tansa Lake, situated in the Shahpur region of Thane, supplies approximately 400 million gallons of water to Mumbai. The lake overflowed on July 26, relieving pressure on the city’s water supply. Tulsi Lake, one of the two lakes directly feeding water to the BMC, also started to overflow on July 20, marking a positive turn of events for Mumbai’s water resources.
The recent rainfall in Mumbai has been a welcome relief after a brief dry spell. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert to the city, forecasting moderate to heavy spells of rainfall in the coming days. This is good news for the city as it helps replenish the water reserves in the lakes and ensures a steady water supply for the residents.
Overall, the water situation in Mumbai looks promising with the lakes at nearly full capacity. The civic body’s efforts to manage the water resources effectively have paid off, ensuring a continuous supply of potable water to the city. As the monsoon season progresses, the city can expect a stable water supply, thanks to the healthy water reserves in the Mumbai lakes.
