‘Water cuts if it doesn’t rain in a week’

With no rain in sight following the onset of the monsoon on Sunday, the usable water levels in the six lakes that provide water to Mumbai are falling.

With no rain in sight following the onset of the monsoon on Sunday, the usable water levels in the six lakes that provide water to Mumbai are falling.

HT Image

You can expect water cuts to start in the city in the next two weeks if the weather persists, said officials from the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation’s water department, though the civic administration has not yet made an official announcement.

The data available with the BMC shows that the cumulative usable water available from all of the six lakes on June 20 is 74,569 million litres. The city gets 3,430 million litres a day, though its actual need is around 4,500.

The past three days have seen a considerable dip in the usable water levels in the lakes. On June 18, the available water was 75,126 million litres, which dropped to 75,095 million litres on June 19.

“There are reports that the monsoon will be further delayed by a week or so. The available water supply will last only for the next 21 days,” said a civic official, on condition of anonymity.

“In order to ration the available water, the administration might have to opt for water cuts, if it does not start raining in a week.”

AS Tawadia, deputy hydraulic engineer (planning and control), said the administration is prepared for the worst. “We will provide water to the city till July 15, even if the rain does not begin,” he said, adding that water cuts have not yet been planned.

"It will take another three to four days for the monsoon system to activate," said VK Rajeev, director, India Meteorological Department, western region.