Reduced water levels in reservoirs and lakes has forced Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to impose a 10 per cent cut in water supply to the city immediately. Water supply timings will also be reduced by 15 per cent, and there will also be a dip in pressure. "This is necessary to preserve the city's water stock till the next monsoon," says civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta. The cut applies to residential as well as industrial use, and extends to Thane and Bhiwandi civic bodies.
Mumbai draws its water from seven lakes and dams that have a collective storage capacity of 14.50 lakh million litres. The city uses 3,800 million litres of water every day.
If the lakes are full on October 1, citizens are assured of uninterrupted water supply till July.
However, this year, the water level stood at 91 per cent at the end of September and further dipped to 76 per cent within one-and-a-half month. Last year, the water level was 92 percent in November, and hence there was no dip in supply.
Levels are 15 per cent lower in reservoirs than what they were in November last year. On November 1, Bhatsa dam had water stock for 209 days and Vaitarna reservoir had water stock for 242 days. BMC will rely on reserved stock for remaining days.
BMC will monitor the situation every month and review its decision accordingly.
