Morbe dam 91% full, water stock to last till June 2025

The current stock will suffice for 325 days, while another 600-700 mm rain will fill up the dam completely

Navi Mumbai: The Morbe dam, which supplies water to Navi Mumbai, is nearly full, with the water level touching 91.63% on August 4. The current stock will suffice for 325 days, while another 600-700 mm rain will fill up the dam completely.

In 2022, the dam’s catchment area received 3,559.40 mm rainfall, and the water stock had reached 188.088 mcm. In 2023, the dam overflowed on September 24, after the catchment area received 3,549 mm rainfall. This year’s rainfall stands at 2,879 mm (Hindustan Times)

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) owned dam, located near Khalapur in Raigad district, was only 26% full in mid-June, with the water stock expected to last 40 days. “We had to resort to water cuts to ensure the city did not face water shortage in the months ahead if the rainfall was not adequate,” said NMMC commissioner Kailas Shinde. Heavy rainfall in the dam’s catchment area in July has raised the water stock to 174.916 million cubic metres (mcm), which can take care of Navi Mumbai’s water needs till June 2025, he added.

“The water level in the dam had gone down considerably this year due to extreme heat. Hence, despite good rainfall in July, the water stock is nearly the same as last year,” said NMMC additional city engineer Arvind Shinde.

In 2022, the dam’s catchment area received 3,559.40 mm rainfall, and the water stock had reached 188.088 mcm. In 2023, the dam overflowed on September 24, after the catchment area received 3,549 mm rainfall. This year’s rainfall stands at 2,879 mm. “The catchment area needs around 600-700 mm of rainfall for the dam to fill up completely,” said Shinde.

NMMC sources 476.847 million litres per day (mld) raw water from Morbe dam daily and supplies 415.40 mld treated pure water to over 1,27,000 consumers in the NMMC area. 15 mld water is used for gardens and watering plans on the dividers while 37 mld water is supplied to the Kamothe node and areas around Morbe dam.