Mumbai: Good news from Bhatsa

Finally, there is a ray of hope for Mumbai's water supply. The largest dam, Bhatsa, which provides 50 per cent of the city's water, received heavy rainfall, with 237 mm falling in a single day, significantly raising the lake's water level. Tansa also registered over 120 mm of rainfall, collectively increasing the water stock to last for at least 12 days.

The water levels are expected to rise further due to percolation in the coming days. Since the first week of June, the BMC has been drawing water from Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna, causing the lake levels to drop to their lowest drawable levels (LDL).

Despite some rain in the last week, Upper Vaitarna's level remains below its LDL. By July 1, the BMC had extracted more than 50,000 million litres from Bhatsa's reserve stock, pushing its level well below the LDL. However, moderate rains in the last week have started to replenish the levels. On Sunday, July 7, Bhatsa received 230 mm of rain in 24 hours until 6 am.

Tansa also received 120 mm of rain. The heavy rainfall increased the combined water stock from 1.57 lakh million litres on Saturday to 2.10 lakh million litres on Sunday. This 53,000 million litre rise is enough to supply the entire city for over 12 days. The water levels of the lakes are expected to increase further due to the percolation effect.

However, there is still a long way to go, as Sunday's stock represents only 14.5 per cent of the total capacity of 14.47 lakh million litres. In comparison, the stock was around 19 per cent on the same day in the last two years. Therefore, the 10 per cent water cut will remain in effect as the current stock is still low.

53,000mld
Day's increase in catchment area