Mumbai: Water level in lakes increases due to heavy rains, alert issued

Mumbai has been witnessing heavy showers which has led to an increase in the water stock. The water stock in the seven lakes supplying water to the city has gone up by 95,2550 million litres in the last 24 hours.Speaking categorically, Tansa dam in Thane district has 86.85 per cent useful water content, while the Bhatsa dam has 59.40 per cent useful water content. Middle Vaitarna has 67.74 per cent useful water content.The city witnessed good rainfall in the last year, but the water stock in the lakes was at 17.35 per cent on July 14. In 2020, the lakes had just 23.98 per cent of the water stock.

This year there was no rainfall in the catchment areas during June. But the city recorded 70 per cent of the average July rainfall within the first week of the month.The lakes that supply water to the city now have 5,83,639 million litres of their total capacity.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) supplies 3,850 million litres of water to the city on a daily basis from Modak Sagar, Tansa, Vihar, Tulsi, Upper Vaitarna, and Bhatsa lakes.The BMC takes stock of the water level in the lakes on October 1 annually. The civic body had initially imposed a 10 per cent water cut which was withdrawn on July 8.Heavy to very heavy rain spells have continued in and around Mumbai for the past two weeks. In the past decade, 2014 was the worst year in terms of insufficient rain. The stock was merely 6 per cent on July 13 and the city faced up to 30 per cent water cuts that year. This year, the stock is not only the largest in a decade but it accumulated in the shortest time.