Mumbai: The combined water stock in the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai dropped below 10% on Thursday. Civic officials warned that an additional 10% cut may be imposed in the first week of July if rainfall does not pick up in the last week of June and reservoir levels fail to improve.
With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) already enforcing a 10% water cut and tapping into additional reserve water permitted from state-owned sources, the current stock in the seven lakes — approximately 1.4 lakh million litres, or 9.7% of the total storage capacity — should suffice until August 20, according to Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar. He made these remarks as corporators from various parties sought clarity on the BMC's preparedness to handle the declining water levels and the contingency measures being planned if lake levels do not improve.
Serious Situation Ahead
Bangar cautioned that the situation remains serious. “The impact of El Niño could lead to higher temperatures in October and November, increasing evaporation losses from lakes. A similar situation was witnessed in 2009, when water cuts had to continue for almost the entire year. This year too, the situation is grave, though significant rainfall is expected in July,” he said.
The government has instructed the BMC to prepare a detailed roadmap covering water availability, distribution, conservation measures, and emergency management up to August 2027, officials added.
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About the Author
Richa Pinto is a special correspondent with The Times of India. She covers urban governance and climate change issues. With over a decade of experience in field reporting, she has written extensively on various civic issues affecting Mumbaikars. She graduated in journalism from the prestigious Mumbai-based St Xavier's College and later pursued a three-year Law degree (L.L.B.) with the University of Mumbai. She regularly tweets about all things that matter to Mumbai on @richapintoi.
