The civic record shows that Mumbai's overall water stock in the seven lakes stand at 35 per cent or 5.20 lakh litters instead of the total capacity of 14.47 lakh liters. (File Photo)
As Mumbai’s maximum temperature continues to soar, a delegation of municipal corporators have demanded a scientific survey of all seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai to ascertain their water levels.
Being a peninsular island city, Mumbai is surrounded by the Arabian sea and creeks from three sides and doesn’t have any natural source of clean water. Therefore most of the city draws its daily water supply from seven different lakes — Vihar, Tulsi, Tansa, Bhatsa, Middle Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, and Modak Sagar, of which Tulsi and Vihar are located in suburban Mumbai and the remaining five are located in Nashik, Palghar and Thane districts. Every monsoon, catchment areas of these lakes get filled with rain and this water is supplied to residents and establishments through tunnels and pipelines.
A notice of motion filed in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) civic house by Congress corporator Aysha Vanu stated that due to the large amount of silt accumulating in these lakes supplying water to the limits of Mumbai, the water holding capacity was decreasing. As a result, the problem of water scarcity was becoming more acute during the summer, and the BMC was facing difficulties in supplying water to the citizens.
“In fact, increasing urbanisation, deforestation, and uncontrolled garbage disposal are some main reasons for the accumulation of silt in the lakes. Keeping this in mind, the Municipal Corporation is of the firm opinion that all the lakes supplying water to the city of Mumbai should be surveyed scientifically and the silt in the said lakes should be removed in a phased manner and a time-bound program should be chalked out,” read the notice. Furthermore, stating that the civic administration may submit a report on the same.
According to civic records, the seven lakes haven’t been desilted since 2015. Desilting is a process of removing accumulated granular material, mainly sludge comprising clay and mud, from the bed of the water body. The accumulation of silt directly affects the holding capacity of any water body along with the overall water quality index.
Civic officials also maintained that reports from Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute (MERI) showed that the silt survey conducted at Tansa and Middle Vaitarna dams reveal that their holding capacity has seen a marginal drop of a mere 0.2 percent.
“Regarding the lake, the organisation concerned has reported that the decrease in annual liquid storage capacity is negligible and therefore there is no impact on the water supply capacity,” said an official.
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The civic record showed that Mumbai’s overall water stock in the seven lakes stand at 35 per cent or 5.20 lakh litres instead of the total capacity of 14.47 lakh litres. Usually civic officials state that every one percent of stock fulfills up to three days of water supply. However, the officials maintained that owing to the rise in temperature the pace of evaporation is faster.
Last year, the water levels dropped below 20 per cent by the first week of May, however, owing to the early monsoon arrival the catchment areas got replenished earlier than usual.
“This year we are anticipating rainfall to arrive on time, therefore it is unlikely there will be any water cut. However, if the level of temperature continues to increase then the pace of evaporation will increase, leading to faster depletion of water stock,” an official said.
Last year, on April 9 the water stock in the lakes stood at 32.48 per cent, while in 2024, the stock stood at 26.98 per cent.
Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.
Expertise & Authority
Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.
Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:
Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.
City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.
Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:
National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.
Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.
Experience
Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:
Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).
Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.
Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More
