Will Mumbai face early water cuts? Water level in 7 lakes dips to 3-year low of 37.9%

While the lake levels Wednesday dropped to 37.9 per cent, last year on the same day, the water stock stood at nearly 44 per cent of the total capacity of the lakes. In 2022, meanwhile, the water touched 46.5 per cent, during the same period.

While the lake levels currently stand at 37 per cent, the city’s water demands are met by 12-13 per cent of the lake quota, each month.

With Mumbai’s official monsoon onset set at June 25, the existing stock was likely to exhaust much before the monsoon arrival.

However, senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials have quashed fears of a water cut this summer, owing to the state government’s nod to allocate extra potable water — where the BMC had floated a request for extra 1.37 lakh million water from the Bhatsa lake and an extra 93,500 million litres of water from Upper Vaitarna.

P Velrasu, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) told The Indian Express, “Both the requests which had been made were approved by the state government’s water resources department. The shortfall in the lake levels will be compensated by this additional allocation. Therefore, there will be no need for a water cut for citizens.”

Amid the lake levels depleting at an alarming rate and weather experts ringing alarm bells over a hotter summer on cards this year, the BMC, last month, had said that a 10 per cent water cut would be imposed if the state department did not accept their request for allocation of the reserves.

With the state government approval to the civic demands on February 29, the BMC rolled back its plan to impose a water cut.

P Malwade, engineer from the civic hydraulic department, said, “Currently, we are supplying water to the city from the existing stock. Once this stock is exhausted, we will use the extra water which the state government has approved.”

According to experts and municipal officials, the lakes have dried up much faster this year owing to less rainfall in September and October during monsoon.

After a delayed onset of monsoon last season, the city experienced an early withdrawal that was announced on October 7 — four days prior to the official date of its withdrawal.