Mumbai: No Water Cuts Till June Next Year as Water Level in 7 Lakes Reaches 100%

Mumbaikars will not have to see water cut till June next year as the water level of seven lakes that supply water to the city has reached 99.6 per cent, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday.

BMC officials, earlier in August, announced that people may have to see water cut if water levels in seven lakes do not reach 100 per cent by October 1.

“We need 100% lake levels as of October 1 for the city to have enough water till June 15,” said a senior BMC official, Hindustan Times reported.

Confirming the development, Purshottam Malwade, Hydraulic Engineer at BMC said there will be no need to impose cuts on water now.

The city received good rainfall between September 24 to September 27, resulting in rising water levels. For example, Modak Sagar Lake had received 51mm rainfall, Bhatsa 42mm, Tansa 23mm, and Middle Vaitarna 19mm. The rising levels of these four lakes led to an increase of 98.93 percent on September 25.

This was further increased to 99.66% on September 27. The Corporation supplies 3900 million litres every day to the citizens.

Earlier, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation considered implementing a water cut as the water level did not reach to a sufficient level. In order to fulfil the city’s needs till the next monsoon season, the lakes supplying water to Mumbai city must have 14.47 lakh million litre of water, said a BMC official.

“We take a review of the water stocks on October 1. If by then the water in the lakes has not filled up to the required capacity, we may have to consider a water cut,” a Times of India report quoted civic hydraulic engineer P Malwade as saying. He added that August has not been very lessing in terms of rains, despite which water stocks increased up to 90 per cent.

The lakes’ total water stock stood at 13.12 lakh million litres — 91 per cent of the required capacity — on September 2. Previously on July 1, the BMC had implemented a 10 per cent water cut in view of this year’s delayed monsoon and insufficient water stocks in the seven lakes.