Mumbai Water Crisis: City to Face Water Shortage During Lok Sabha Election 2024

Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections will be held in five phases starting from April 19 which will end on 20th May. People have to vote in scorching sun and worst part is On May 20, when the city and its outskirts head to the polls, there will be water shortage in city.  

Mumbaikars are already feeling the pinch from frequent water cuts by the Municipal Corporation. The storage levels in all seven dams that supply water to Mumbai have dropped to just 35 percent. People are understandably anxious about where they'll get their water in May.

Every day, about 3,800 million liters of water flow from seven lakes—Upper Vaitrana, Modaksagar, Tansa, Madhya Vaitrana, Bhatsa, Vihar, and Tulsi—to quench Mumbai's thirst. Last year, despite heavy rains, all seven lakes were full by June, bringing relief to the city's long-standing water worries. But this year, the scorching heat has kicked in early, causing confusion and discomfort among Mumbaikars. To make matters worse, a lot of water from the lakes is evaporating due to the heat. Experts say the water levels are dropping fast. Last year at this time, the dams were at 41 percent capacity, and in 2022, it was 44 percent.

Three Times Reduction 

1.  On February 27, water supply was disrupted due to a fire in a transformer at the Pise Water Pumping Station. To smooth it, the municipality implemented a 15 percent reduction till March 5.
2. 5 percent reduction is applicable till April 24 as the water tanks in Bhandup Water Purification Center are being cleaned from March 14.
3. 15 percent reduction has been implemented due to leakage of water from the dam at Pisa.

Dam Water Storage (Million Liters)

1. Upper Vaitrana 1,18,244
2. Modak Sagar 36,861
3. Tansa 68,509
4. Median distribution 20,474
5. Bhatsa 2,47,055
6. Vihar 12,879
7. Basil 3,962

A written request has been made to the government to get additional water supply. Against this backdrop, the state government has agreed to provide 230,000 million liters of reserve water for Mumbaikars, said the water department of the municipality.