Water relief! Mumbai lakes already have 215 days of water

It has been raining misery on Mumbaikars for weeks now and in areas like Vasai, Virar and Nalasopara, residents' cup of misery still runneth over but the silver lining is that three of the seven lakes supplying water to the city are filled to the brim. Water levels are over 56 per cent, which means the city has enough stock for at least 215 days.

Vihar Lake overflowed on Monday morning while Modak Sagar did so on Sunday afternoon. Tulsi lake overflowed that week, while Tansa levels are nearly topped off.

Mumbai gets water from Vihar, Tulsi, Bhatsa, Middle Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna,

Vihar Lake overflowed on Monday morning while Modak Sagar did so on Sunday afternoon. Tulsi lake overflowed that week, while Tansa levels are nearly topped off

Tansa and Modak Sagar, which are in Thane and Nashik districts.

“The city has received ample rainfall this time. And we are hardly halfway into the season. However, had the catchment areas also received the same amount of rainfall as the city, water stocks would have improved more dramatically and faster,” said an official from the civic hydraulic department, requesting anonymity. Tulsi and Vihar are located within city limits, in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The other three lakes, outside city limits, are also filling up fast. Bhatsa, which supplies 50% of Mumbai’s water, had received 90 mm of rainfall until Sunday morning. The seven lakes had received 654mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending Sunday morning.

The city requires 4,200 million litres of water daily (MLD), of which the civic body supplies 3,800 MLD. The water stock on Sunday was 8.19 lakh million litres, compared to 8.99 lakh million litres on July 15 last year. The city needs 14.47 lakh million litres of water by the end of the monsoon every year, to ensure there are no water cuts.