Mumbaikars! Get ready for water cuts as dry spell continues

Mumbai: With rains playing truant and water levels depleting, Mumbaikars may soon have to face water cuts upto 15 per cent, civic officials said today.

"We have received only three per cent of rainfall in June till now, whereas we should have ideally received at least 15 per cent. If Mumbai does not get rains in the next 2-3 days, we will have to impose a water cut of 10-15 per cent in the city," a senior MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) official told PTI.

However, a final decision in this regard will be taken in a review meeting, which will be held in the next two days, said Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ramesh Bambale.

Bambale said that while monsoons in the city remain uncertain, MCGM has advised citizens to use water wisely and refrain from using drinking water for other purposes.

Also read: Mumbai's water crisis worsens: BMC stops drawing water from three lakes

"We have been cautioning citizens against wasting water, which is now scarce. Water needs to be saved as much as possible at this time. We are not sure how the monsoon situation will pan out in the future. If water in the lakes further dries up, we will be left with no option in our hands," he said.

As of today, water in seven major lakes which supplies water to the city is 1.32 lakh million litres (enough to last for a month) compared to 3,33,906 lakh million litres last year.

The city faced a similar water crisis in July 2009, when a 30 per cent water cut was imposed on the city. The water cut back then was the maximum permitted by Mumbai's water supply network.