Heavy rain likely in Mumbai till August 3

In Mumbai’s neighbouring district of Raigad and Ratnagiri, the IMD has issued an orange alert, which will remain in place until Thursday, indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy downpour.

According to the IMD, parts of Konkan and the ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra will experience increased rain over the course of the next three days. However, forecasters have predicted a reduction in the intensity following that.

Sushma Nair, scientist at IMD Mumbai, told The Indian Express, “Owing to the shift in the monsoon trough, there is no prediction of heavy rainfall for the month of August. Mumbai and the western coast can expect decent monsoon activity until August 3, following which rainfall-like conditions may recede.”

With the city receiving minimal showers, the IMD’s Santacruz weather station recorded three millimetres of rain till Tuesday morning whereas the Colaba observatory received 2 mm during the same period.

Meanwhile, data furnished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed that between until Tuesday evening, the island city received the maximum showers at 4.52 mm. The eastern suburbs registered 3.60 mm of rain followed closely by the western suburbs where 1.69 mm rain was recorded.

Since lake levels surpassed 75 per cent of its capacity on Monday morning, the water stock in the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai stood at 76.50 per cent of the total capacity, on Tuesday. On the same day, last year, the lake levels touched 88.80 per cent while it was at 75.62 per cent in 2021.

In line with the IMD’s forecasts of less intense monsoon spells, the civic body has extended the 10 percent water cut in the city into August.

Speaking to The Indian Express, civic officials said, “IMD expects dry spells in August because of the El Nino effect. In absence of rains, the evaporation will happen and the water levels in dams will come down again. So the BMC will watch the developments in the catchment area for another week and then decide.”

With the delayed onset of monsoon, the water stocks in all the seven lakes had depleted severely, following which the BMC had implemented a water cut of 10% from July 1. This year, the monsoon arrived in the bay on June 25, a delay of two weeks from its official date of arrival, June 11.