MUMBAI: In what comes as a glimmer of hope for Mumbaikars reeling under the coronavirus crisis, the Powai lake which supplies the drinking water to the financial capital has been overflowing since Sunday morning, thanks to the highest ever rainfall recorded in a single day in the last five years.
The Powai dam has a capacity to store 545 crore litre water which is mainly used for non-potable purposes.
Other major dams namely Modak Sagar, Tansa and Middle Vaitarna fill after Powai lake reaches its full capacity.
The Indian Meteorological Department informed that in the last 24 hours, Mumbai (Colaba)
received 200.8-millimetre rainfall while Santacruz received 129.6-millimetre. Since July 1, Mumbai (Colaba) IMD recorded 780 MM and Santacruz got 915MM rainfall.
Last year, Mumbai city had recorded 375.2mm on July 2, which is the highest-ever 24-hour rain recorded between 2015 and 2020. In 2018, it was 184.3mm (July 10), 163.4mm in 2017 (July 18), 114.5mm in 2016 (July 30), and 61 mm in 2015 (July 21).
Over the past decade, however, more rain was recorded in 2013 (215.6mm on July 24) and 2014 (207.2 mm on July 3). The all-time high 24-hour deluge was recorded on July 27, 2005. It led to 944.2mm rainfall.
IMD, Mumbai has warned of intermittent moderate rain in the city and its suburbs and there are possibilities of heavy rainfall at isolated locations.
According to the IMD spokesperson, “North Konkan including Mumbai and its suburbs witnessed an active phase of the southwest monsoon over the past three days with continuous showers and extremely heavy rain in some areas. The impact of widespread rain activity led to overall excess rainfall for the majority of the weather stations. Besides, in many parts of Mumbai particularly low lying areas will get submerged in rainwater. Mumbai suburb has currently recorded 15 per cent excess rain for the season while south Mumbai has recorded large excess of 29 per cent.”
In Bandra area, the seawater started coming back to the slum pockets. “If there is a high tide and at the same time there is heavy to heavy rainfall, then the sea refuses to take the rainwater. In this situation, the waterlogging and seawater flow into nearby areas,” said a BMC official.
BJP MLA Nitesh Rane and Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam also tweeted the videos of waterlogging in Mumbai.