Will review 20% water cut in city: BMC chief

Heavy rain pushes up stock in lakes supplying water to 75.96%

MUMBAI: With the improved water levels in the seven lakes that supply water to the city, civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal on Sunday said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will re-examine the imposition of 20% water cut in Mumbai. Starting August 5, BMC imposed a 20% water cut in the city, owing to the meagre rainfall in the catchment areas. When asked about withdrawing the water cut, Chahal said, “We will certainly re-examine this.”

The seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai have a total of 75.96% useful water content as on Sunday morning, up from the 60.17% useful water content as of Thursday morning, and 50.53% last Sunday morning. By this time in 2019, the lakes had 93.69% useful water content. The present useful water content of 10,99,445 million litres (ML) will be sufficient to supply water to Mumbai for at least seven months or more.

On August 5, when the 20% water cut was imposed, the seven lakes had 37.36% useful water content or 5,39,307 million litres of water, as opposed to the same time in 2019, when the lakes had the lakes had 89.96% useful water content.

Sachin Sawant, Congress spokesperson tweeted on Sunday morning: “On my request, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, assured that Mumbai’s water cut will be withdrawn, and water supply will be restored [to previous quantity].”

On August 14, Sawant had urged BMC to withdraw the water cut due to the nearing festival season, and Ganesh festival.

BMC supplies 3,850 million litres per day (MLD), against a demand of 4,200 MLD. After the 20% water cut, BMC has been supplying 3,080 MLD to Mumbai.

The seven lakes are bifurcated into two systems – the Vaitarna system which supplies to the western suburbs and the island city, and the Bhatsa system which supplies to the eastern suburbs.

The lakes are situated in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts.