Citing the fact that the lakes that provide water to the city are nearly full to the brim, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has ruled out imposing a water cut in Mumbai in the following year. Officials from the BMC’s hydraulics department confirmed that as of Wednesday, the lakes supplying water to Mumbai are nearly capable of supplying water for the remaining of the year, until the next monsoon season.

At present, there is 89 per cent of useful water content in the seven lakes around Mumbai, of which Bhatsa has the lowest at 81 per cent. A senior civic official from the hydraulics department said, “Due to safety reasons, we opened the gates of Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna. These lakes hence do not have useful water content of 100 per cent. But that does not mean we do not have water. As of October 1, we need to have 14,47,363 million litres (ML) of water, to suffice till July 31 next year.”

The lakes have 12,90,901 ML of useful content at present, which is in stark contrast to the corresponding figure at the same time the previous year, when there was only 8,90,765 ML, following which the BMC had imposed a consistent 15-per cent water cut throughout the city for the whole year.

The official said, “The monsoon arrives by June but, as a precautionary measure, we take delays into consideration and stock up on water till July 31. We now have water to suffice till June next year.”

Meanwhile, the five lakes managed by the BMC — Modak Sagar, Tansa, Vehar, Tulsi and Middle Vaitarna — are full to the brim.