Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 10: Mumbai’s seven major reservoirs are nearly full, but the city’s 10% water cut is likely to remain in place until at least the end of September, with the BMC adopting a cautious approach ahead of the drier months.
As of September 9, the reservoirs held around 13.95 lakh million litres against their combined capacity of 14.47 lakh million litres, reaching nearly 96% of capacity. Despite the comfortable storage level, the civic administration is reluctant to restore normal water supply immediately, citing the need to maintain an adequate buffer in case rainfall declines.
Additional municipal commissioner Vipin Sharma said the BMC would continue monitoring lake levels through September before reviewing the situation at the end of the month. With forecasts indicating limited rainfall for the remainder of September, the administration does not want to assume that the remaining storage capacity will be filled quickly.
The seven reservoirs — Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Vihar and Tulsi — are the main sources of Mumbai’s water supply. Their current combined stock is only slightly more than half a lakh million litres below total capacity.
The present levels, however, are marginally lower than those recorded during the same period in the previous two years. On September 8, the lakes were around 96.41% full, compared with 97.23% in 2025 and 97.75% in 2024.
The 10% water cut was imposed on May 15, when the reservoirs held only about 23.5% of their combined capacity. The restriction was introduced to conserve water during the summer amid uncertainty over the monsoon.
Although the monsoon has significantly improved Mumbai’s water position, the BMC supplies around 3,850 million litres per day against an estimated requirement of nearly 4,300 MLD. The gap of about 450 MLD highlights that reservoir storage alone cannot resolve the city’s water challenges.
Issues such as leakage, ageing pipelines, distribution problems and rising demand continue to affect supply. In parts of Malad, residents have recently complained of low pressure and dirty water, highlighting the gap between water stored in reservoirs and water actually reaching households.
The BMC is also mapping Mumbai’s nearly 6,500-km water pipeline network to identify sections requiring replacement. According to Sharma, the exercise is currently under way and is expected to help improve the city’s distribution infrastructure.
The continuation of the water cut has also triggered a political debate after the BMC permitted municipal swimming pools to resume water supply from August 16. BJP corporator Shivkumar Jha questioned the decision, arguing that restrictions on households remained in place ahead of the Ganesh festival.
Standing committee chairperson and BJP corporator Prabhakar Shinde has said restoring full supply to households and other essential users should take priority over swimming pools. BJP leader Pravin Darekar has also suggested withdrawing the residential water cut while continuing restrictions on commercial consumption.
Congress corporator Ajanta Yadav has proposed cleaning and desilting wells across the city and using the water for non-potable purposes.
Meanwhile, the BMC is looking at longer-term measures, including the Gargai project, desalination and greater use of treated wastewater, to strengthen Mumbai’s water security.
For now, the city has a substantial reserve, with its seven lakes nearly full. However, the BMC is expected to wait until the end of September before deciding whether conditions are favourable for restoring normal supply.
The decision will ultimately depend not only on the present storage level but also on rainfall forecasts, future demand and the city’s ability to maintain sufficient reserves through the dry months.