Mumbai: Water crisis deepens as delayed monsoon worsens supply issues

Tansa lake at Shahapur. File pic

The city's water management system faces challenges due to rising demand and limited water sources. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) usually plans so as to have enough water stock until the end of July, expecting the rains to begin in early June. However, with the monsoon arriving later in recent years, the BMC has struggled to manage the water supply, as the available stock is often not enough to meet daily needs.

The city has faced water cuts in June for the past three years. The BMC has a management system for water stock. The seven lakes supplying the city have a combined water stock of 14.47 lakh million litres. The BMC uses and supplies the water in such a way that if all lakes are full by the end of September, the water stock may last until the end of July.

"The plan was designed to ensure uninterrupted water supply even if the rain is delayed by a week or two. But in the past few years, the monsoon has been delayed by over a month. Specifically, in the last three years, the rain started in the last week of June or the first week of July. This year, even a week into July, we are still waiting for heavy rain. Therefore, there needs to be an improvement in management, and the corporation should aim to manage the water supply to last until the end of August," said a former BMC official. While the idea is sound, the BMC cannot implement it due to the inadequate water stock to meet the city's growing demand.

"The plan was made when the city's water requirement was lower. Now, the BMC supplies 3,850 million litres of water daily, but the requirement has reached almost 4,500 million litres per day. Now, with a 10 per cent cut imposed by the BMC, many areas face water shortages and low pressure. If we try to manage the stock until the end of August, it will result in less water every day, effectively a water cut. Therefore, we cannot manage the water supply adequately due to insufficient stock," said a BMC official.

Currently, the seven lakes have a combined stock of 1.30 lakh million litres, which is nine per cent of the total storage capacity - the lowest level in the past three years. Last year, the lake levels were higher (18 per cent) after heavy rains started in the last week of June. In 2022, the stock was at 15 per cent.

Water cuts in recent years

2024 The BMC imposed a 5 per cent water cut from May 30 when the water stock went below 10 per cent, followed by a 10 per cent cut from June 5.

2023 Even after using the reserved stock of lakes, the stock fell below 7 per cent in June. Due to delayed rains, the BMC imposed a 10 per cent cut from July 1 to August 2.

2022 A 10 per cent water cut was imposed from June 28 to July 12, as the stock dipped to 9 per cent due to the delayed monsoon.