X: @the_news_21
Mumbaikars face a looming water crisis as the city’s crucial reservoirs dip to their lowest levels in three years. With only enough water to last for two months, concerns mount over potential shortages and the municipal corporation’s ability to sustain the city’s water needs.
The seven dams that supply water to Mumbai, including Urdhwa Vaitrana, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Madhya Vaitrana, Bhatsa, Vihar, and Tulsi, currently hold a mere 32.32 percent of their total storage capacity. This sharp decline in water levels paints a dire picture, raising alarms over the city’s water security.
The total water available across these dams stands at approximately 4 lakh 67 thousand 766 million liters, a stark contrast to previous years’ storage levels. Such diminished reserves pose significant challenges for the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, tasked with ensuring adequate water supply to the city’s residents for the next four months until the onset of monsoon replenishes the dams.
According to the water department’s calculations, each percentage point of water represents three days’ worth of supply for Mumbaikars. However, with the advent of summer, these projections face increasing uncertainty, threatening to exacerbate the water scarcity situation.
The Mumbai Municipality has already taken proactive measures, reaching out to the state government in March to secure additional water resources from reservoirs. At the beginning of the month, the water availability stood at a relatively healthier 42 percent. Now, officials contemplate tapping into reserves from dams like Bhatsa and Upper Vaitrana if the need arises.
A comparative look at the water storage levels over the past three years underscores the severity of the current situation:
- As of March 25, 2024: 4,67,766 million liters, 31.32%
- March 25, 2023: 5,63,181 million liters, 38.91%
- March 25, 2022: 6,06,741 million liters, 41.92%
