Mumbai Lakes Water Level Climbing: Will This Bring Relief Or Risk Flooding?

On Sunday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that the water levels in Mumbai's seven reservoirs have reached an impressive 98.15 per cent. This means that the combined water stock currently stands at 14,20,614 million litres, almost at full capacity.

Mumbai's water supply comes from several key reservoirs: Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Tansa, Vihar, Tulsi, and Modak Sagar. According to the BMC's latest data, the water levels in these reservoirs are as follows:

Photo Credit: PTI

Upper Vaitarna: 99.15 per cent
Middle Vaitarna: 98.82 per cent
Bhatsa: 98.51 per cent
Tansa: 96.99 per cent
Vihar: 100 per cent
Tulsi: 99.05 per cent
Modak Sagar: 94.26 per cent

The heavy rainfall over recent weeks has caused several of these lakes to overflow. Middle Vaitarna Lake started overflowing on July 4, while Vihar and Modak Sagar began to flood on July 25. Tansa Lake, located in the Shahpur region of Thane, also overflowed on July 26, contributing approximately 400 million gallons of water to the city's supply. Notably, on July 24, Tansa Lake's overflow increased the water stored in all seven reservoirs by 17 days in just one day.

In addition to this, Tulsi Lake, overflowed on July 20, mirroring a similar event from the previous year.

Mumbai Weather Update

In terms of weather, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light rainfall in Mumbai and its suburbs for Sunday. The skies are expected to be partly cloudy with temperatures ranging from a maximum of 32 degrees Celsius to a minimum of 26 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels remain high, with Colaba at 80 per cent and Santacruz at 83 per cent.

Furthermore, the BMC has provided a tidal forecast: a high tide is expected at 2:24 PM, reaching a height of 4.17 metres, followed by a low tide at 8:30 PM at 0.42 metres. For Monday, a high tide is predicted at 3:22 AM at 4.32 metres, with a low tide at 9:07 AM at 1.77 metres.

Residents are advised to stay updated on weather conditions and prepare for potential impacts from the tides and rainfall.