Maximum City has only 40 days of water left, major curbs enforced

A combination of delayed monsoon arrival, zero rainfall in key catchment areas this season, and rapid depletion of reservoir storage—exacerbated by El Niño conditions—has pushed Mumbai’s seven-lake water supply system to a critical threshold, with the water stock effectively nearing the bottom level and leaving only about 40 days of supply for the city, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

- SUDHIR SURYAWANSHI @ Mumbai

According to the BMC’s hydraulic department, only 9.33 percent of the drinking water available comes from four major lakes—Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, and Middle Vaitarna—that supply water to Mumbai. This is lower than last year’s 12.27 percent during the same period, and also below the 2024 level of 10.24 percent storage in city lakes.

Officials said the delay in the monsoon’s arrival, coupled with the continuous depletion of water storage and no rainfall in the catchment areas so far this year, has become a serious cause for concern for the city. The hydraulic department has warned that the present 9.33 percent water stock in the catchments will be sufficient for just under six weeks of demand. Mumbai's requirements.