Mumbai Mumbai has an overall stock of 1,93,407 million litres or 13.36 per cent of the total capacity of 14,47,363 million litres in all its seven lakes that supply water to the city on June 12.
Senior officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) hydraulics department said that the current water stock will be sufficient till July 30.
Mumbai draws its water supply from seven different lakes which includes the Bhatsa, Middle Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, Tansa and Modak Sagar – in Thane district and the Tulsi and Vehar lakes that are located within the city limits at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The total water stock of the city is calculated by observing the present quantity of water available in each of these lakes.
Meanwhile, the BMC data also shows that the city’s current stock this year is higher than the last two years’. Earlier in 2021, the water stock in Mumbai was around 12.85 per cent on June 12, while in 2020, it was around 12.96 per cent on the same day.
“The stocks are adequate in all the seven lakes of the city. This year, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has already predicted good rains so we are optimistic that the lakes will be brimming by the end of monsoon and citizens will not face any water cuts,” said a senior official from the department.
Out of all seven lakes, Modak Sagar currently has 37 per cent of useful content, followed by 28 per cent in Tulsi and 18 per cent in Middle Vaitarna. The Vehar Lake has 14 per cent stock left, while the Bhatsa has 13 per cent of its stock left. The Tansa lake has a stock of 6 per cent.
Meanwhile, the BMC has marked the quantity of water stock in Upper Vaitarna as zero as the overall capacity of the lake has fallen to the minimum water level.
Out of these seven lakes, the Bhatsa supplies 55 per cent of the total water in Mumbai. The seven lakes have been bifurcated into two channels out of which, four lakes supply water to the western suburbs and island city while three lakes supply water to the eastern suburbs.
“Last year, the maximum rainfall happened between July 15 and 25 during which most of the catchment areas got filled up within a short span of time. The Tansa, Tulsi, Modak Sagar and Vehar lakes had also overflowed twice last year. This year also we are optimistic about good rainfall so it’s too early to say anything about future water cut plans. We will have to wait at least till the end of September,” said the official.
The BMC supplies 3,850 million litres of water daily (MLD) against its overall demand of 4,200 MLDs. The civic body also inaugurated its ambitious ‘Water for all’ policy earlier this year, with an aim to supply water to the unmapped housing locations of the city.