As the water levels in all seven lakes crucial to Mumbai's water supply plummet to below 10 percent, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is considering implementing a water cut in the coming days. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has issued a plea to residents, urging them to conserve water wisely in order to stave off an imminent water shortage.
In the seven lakes, namely Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Vehar, and Tulsi, there is a total of 142,701 million liters of water available, approximately 9.93 percent of their total capacity. Following a review meeting on pre-monsoon preparations, Shinde said the critical need for judicious water usage, stating that even with timely monsoon arrival, a water cut could still be imminent.
Comparatively, during the same period last year, the lakes held around 15.57 percent usable water. However, the current situation presents a less favorable scenario. According to BMC estimates, the available water can sustain the city's needs for the next 25 to 30 days. Additionally, there is a reserve of 2.28 lakh million litres of water in Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna, which can be tapped into in case of an emergency.