Lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai are 99.2% full

The seven lakes are bifurcated into two systems, the Vaitarna system supplies water to the western suburbs and the Island city, and the Bhatsa system provides water to the eastern suburbs of Mumbai

The seven lakes that provide water to Mumbai city are now 99.2% full and this is 1% more than a year ago and 1.4% more than two years ago. Water reserves near-full capacity means there will be sufficient quantities to meet the city’s water supply requirements throughout the year and residents are unlikely to face any water-cuts.

Bhatsa dam in Maharashtra’s Thane district has 99.5% useful water content as of now. Of its total capacity of 717,037 M Litre, 575,700 M Litre are allotted to Mumbai. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo/File)

Mumbai city receives its drinking water supply from Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Vehar, and Tulsi lakes, whose total water capacity is 1,447,363 Million Litres (M Litres). They are located in Mumbai, and the neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) supplies 3,850 M Litres of water to Mumbai per day.

The seven lakes are bifurcated into two systems- the Vaitarna system supplies water to the western suburbs and the Island city, and the Bhatsa system that provides water to the eastern suburbs.

Tulsi, Vehar, Tansa, and Modak Sagar have already overflown once this monsoon, in July. On September 13, BMC began to release water from Upper Vaitarna also, which currently has 99.3% water, as per BMC data. Water-level in Tulsi and Vehar lakes is at 100%, while it is at 99.14% for Tansa and 99.9% for Modak Sagar.

Bhatsa dam in Thane district has 99.5% useful water content. Of its total capacity of 717,037 M Litre, 575,700 M Litre are allotted to Mumbai for use, and comprise over 40% of the annual water requirement of the city. Middle Vaitarna has 97.44% useful water content.