Mumbai’s water supply position has improved further as the seven lakes that provide drinking water to the city reached 94.29% of their combined useful storage capacity on Thursday morning.
According to the latest data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the overall water stock increased from 94.15% on Wednesday to 94.29% on August 20.
The rise comes as the city’s reservoirs continue to receive rainfall during the ongoing monsoon season, with several lakes already reaching full or near-full storage levels.
Mumbai Has Over 13.64 Lakh Million Litres Of Water
As of 6 am on August 20, Mumbai’s seven reservoirs collectively contained 13,64,737 million litres (ML) of water.
Their combined useful storage capacity is 14,47,363 ML, meaning the lakes are now holding almost their entire usable capacity.
The strong storage position gives Mumbai a significant water buffer for the months ahead, particularly after the city’s reservoirs recorded substantial gains during the monsoon.
Which Mumbai Lakes Are Full?
Several important reservoirs have already reached 100% of their useful storage.
- Modak Sagar: 100%
- Vehar: 100%
- Tulsi: 100%
- Tansa: 98.69%
- Middle Vaitarna: 94.22%
- Bhatsa: 94.38%
- Upper Vaitarna: 87.13%
Bhatsa, one of Mumbai’s major sources of water, was holding 94.38% of its useful capacity.
Upper Vaitarna, meanwhile, remained the lowest among the seven reservoirs at 87.13%, although its storage level was still substantially high.
More Rain Recorded In Several Catchment Areas
The lakes continued to receive rainfall during the 24 hours before Thursday morning.
Upper Vaitarna recorded the highest rainfall at 13 mm. Vehar received 7 mm, while Middle Vaitarna and Bhatsa each recorded 4 mm. Modak Sagar received 3 mm and Tulsi recorded 3 mm.
Tansa did not receive rainfall during the period covered by the latest BMC report.
Continued rainfall in the catchment areas could push more reservoirs towards their maximum storage levels.
Several Lakes Have Already Overflowed
The strong water position has also been reflected in the recent overflowing of several reservoirs.
According to the BMC data, Upper Vaitarna began releasing water on July 6, while the discharge gates of Middle Vaitarna were closed on the same day.
Tansa started overflowing on July 22, followed by Modak Sagar on July 23. Vehar and Tulsi had also reached overflowing levels earlier in July.
What Does 94.29% Water Stock Mean For Mumbai?
The latest figures indicate that Mumbai currently has a strong water reserve compared with periods when the city’s reservoirs were under pressure because of inadequate rainfall.
With more than 94% of the combined useful capacity filled, the city has built a substantial buffer. However, the final water position will depend on how the remaining monsoon season progresses and how much water the reservoirs receive in the coming weeks.
For now, the BMC’s latest figures point to a comfortable water supply situation for Mumbai.
