Be ready for more water cuts if it doesn’t rain more. Although the monsoon has arrived, it’s not raining enough in the catchment areas of the lakes that supply water to the city.
At present, the Brihanmum-bai Municipal Corporation has imposed a 20 per cent water cut that will be continue till July 15, even if the downpour increases in a day or two.
“The rain is expected soon, but even if it does arrive, it takes at least 10-15 days for the lakes to fill up, so the cuts will continue till July 15,” said Anil Diggikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner.
“We have enough water in the lakes for the next 20 days,” said Santosh Korlekar, chief engineer (Water Department) BMC.
The city gets 3,200 million litres a day (MLD) from six lakes — Tansa, Vaitarna, Vihar, Tulsi, Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa. On Sunday, levels in all lakes except Bhatsa were precariously low. In the last 24 hours, not more than 10 mm rain rainfall was recorded in the catchment areas.
“Bhatsa’s level is higher compared to last year, but it can only supply to the eastern suburbs and not the island city or the western suburbs because of a technical snag,” said a civic official.
Meanwhile, the meteorological department said the weather forecasts remained unchanged — spells of rain or thundershowers in the city with possibility of heavy rain in certain areas.
“Bhatsa’s level is higher compared to last year, but it can only supply to the eastern suburbs and not the island city or the western suburbs because of a technical snag,” said a civic official.
Meanwhile, the meteorological department said the weather forecasts remained unchanged — spells of rain or thundershowers in the city with possibility of heavy rain in certain areas.