With the 15 per cent water cut imposed on Mumbai since October last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has managed to ensure that the scarce water resource due to poor monsoons in 2015
With the 15 per cent water cut imposed on Mumbai since October last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has managed to ensure that the scarce water resource due to poor monsoons in 2015 will prove enough for the city till June 30. Officials from the hydraulics department confirmed that this water stock is minus the water reserves in the city’s lakes.
If it rains by the end of June, the city will not need to use its reserve water, which comes under the jurisdiction of the state irrigation department.
As of June 2, Mumbai’s lakes have 1,71,419 million litres of water. Even though this stock is considerably less than the amount stocked up this time last year, which was 2,33,231 million litres, the city has water available for 39 more days from the Vaitarna system and 29 more days from the Bhatsa system. The Vaitarna system supplies water to the western suburbs and parts of the island city, and the Bhatsa system supplies it to the eastern suburbs.
Besides, even if it has to use the reserves, the water will suffice till July 31, if the reserves are also used.
A senior civic official from the hydraulics department said, “Due to the water cut imposed in October last year, we have come to a comfortable position regarding water. This is despite the Deonar dumping ground fire and Colaba’s Metro House fire using up a lot of potable water, which was an unplanned expenditure of the resource.”
The official confirmed that no additional water cuts will have to be imposed in the city, and the water supply is running as per the plan chalked out by the civic body right after the monsoons last year.
