MUMBAI: Residents of Mumbai should brace for a 10% water cut amid the scorching summer heat. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Asia’s richest civic body, has announced the reduction starting May 15 as the city’s drinking water reservoirs are depleting rapidly.
BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide stated that the reservoirs currently hold only 28.35% of usable drinking water, which must last until the active phase of the monsoon.
According to the BMC’s hydraulic department, live storage during the same period last year was 25.28%, and 19.99% in 2024.
She noted that this year’s situation is further impacted by El Niño, which has adversely affected monsoon patterns and rainfall. As a result, precautionary measures are necessary to ensure that the existing water stock lasts until sufficient rainfall replenishes the reservoirs.
Ashwini Bhide also said that the BMC has requested additional carryover water stock from the state government. “We will receive 147 million cubic metres (MCM) from the Bhatsa dam and 90 MCM from the Vaitarna reservoirs, totaling 237 MCM as carryover storage,” she said.
She added that the current water stock, the 10% water cut from May 15, and the additional carryover supply from the state government will together help maintain adequate water supply in Mumbai until August 17, 2026. “These are precautionary measures,” Bhide stressed.
According to the BMC’s hydraulic department, the Upper Vaitarna reservoir currently has 23.56% live storage (compared to 23.02% last year). Modak Sagar stands at 34.77%, Tansa at 23.33%, and Middle Vaitarna at 32.73%. Meanwhile, Bhatsa has 27.52% live storage, Vihar stands at 52.58%, and Tulsi at 36.86%. These reservoirs collectively supply drinking water to Mumbai.