Mumbai's water woes are back again and a 20 per cent water cut is expected from August 1 in view of the insufficient rain received by the catchment areas of the lakes which are the city's primary sources of water. A proposal for the same is being discussed at the municipal commissioner level, as only 33 per cent of the total water storage capacity is currently available and it would last just for three months.

mid-day had published a report on July 23 on the probable water cut, a proposal for which has been submitted by the Hydraulic Engineers' Department. A senior civic official said, "Even after two months, water levels in the lakes haven't gone up much and that is a major cause of worry. We hope the situation improves over the next two months, but we cannot take a chance."