3-month reserve water left: Navi Mum civic chief

Municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde said Morbe dam, the city’s principal drinking water source, has a total gross storage capacity of 190.890 million cubic metres (MCM) and currently holds 82.557 MCM, or 43.24% of the total capacity.

Navi Mumbai: Shrinking reserves in Morbe dam and fears of a weaker monsoon under El Niño conditions have put Navi Mumbai on an early water alert, with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) urging residents to conserve immediately.

Navi Mumbai, India - Aug. 9, 2019: NMMC's Morbe Dam in Navi Mumbai, India, on Friday, August 9, 2019. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

According to municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde, Morbe dam—the city’s principal drinking water source owned by NMMC and supplemented by allocations from the Barvi system—has a total gross storage capacity of 190.890 million cubic metres (MCM) and currently holds 82.557 MCM, or 43.24% of capacity.

“After setting aside the mandatory one-month emergency reserve, the actual usable stock stands at 51.957 MCM, equivalent to 27.22% of total capacity,” Shinde said. “At the present drawal rate, the available reserve is sufficient for a little over three months, which calls for immediate caution and planned use.”

NMMC presently draws about 476.847 million litres per day (MLD) of raw water from Morbe, while around 415.40 MLD of treated potable water is supplied through more than 1.27 lakh water connections across the civic area.

Under normal conditions, around 3,500 mm of rainfall is required to fill the reservoir fully. However, considering the present storage position, nearly 3,600 mm of rainfall would now be needed this year for complete replenishment.

“If rainfall remains at 92% of normal, the catchment may receive only around 3,327 mm,” Shinde said, urging residents to avoid wasteful consumption. “No formal water cut has been announced so far, but preventive conservation will help avoid harsher measures if monsoon inflows are delayed,” Shinde added.