Mumbai Water Cut: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday announced a 10 per cent water cut across Mumbai from May 15 due to declining water levels in reservoirs supplying the city. In an official statement, the civic body said the move has been introduced as a precautionary measure to ensure water availability for a longer period, particularly amid forecasts of below-normal rainfall linked to El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) conditions.
The 10 per cent water cut will also apply to water supplied by the BMC to neighbouring civic bodies and villages, including Thane and Bhiwandi, a BMC release informed.
According to BMC data released on May 11, the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai currently hold 3,40,399 million litres of usable water, which is only 23.52 per cent of the city’s annual requirement of 14,47,363 million litres.
The BMC also stated that there is no need for panic as additional reserve water will be available from the Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna dams if required.
The BMC appealed to citizens to avoid wastage and adopt water-saving habits in daily life. Residents have been advised to use only the required amount of drinking water, prefer bucket baths instead of showers, avoid leaving taps running while brushing or shaving, and repair leaking taps and pipelines immediately.
The civic body also urged residents to wash vehicles using buckets instead of hoses, prevent overhead tanks from overflowing, use water-efficient nozzles on taps, and operate washing machines only with full loads.
Hotels, restaurants and commercial establishments have also been asked to reduce unnecessary water consumption.