The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced a 10 percent water cut across Mumbai starting May 15 due to critically low reservoir levels and concerns over a weaker-than-expected monsoon. According to the civic body, the decision has been taken as water stock in Mumbai’s supplying reservoirs has dropped to just 23 percent of the city’s annual requirement.
Officials said the water cut will also apply to Thane, Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporations, and nearby areas that depend on BMC’s water supply network. The civic body issued the directive after reviewing current reservoir levels and weather forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which indicated the possibility of a weaker monsoon influenced by El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole conditions.
Despite the reduction, BMC has assured citizens that there is no need to panic and has urged residents to use water carefully and avoid wastage. As of now, Mumbai has around 340,399 million litres of usable water across its reservoirs, compared to the annual requirement of 1,447,363 million litres. To manage the shortfall, additional water reserves from Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna dams will also be utilised.
Officials said 147,092 million litres will be drawn from Bhatsa Dam’s reserve, along with another 90,000 million litres from Upper Vaitarna Dam to stabilise supply. The water cut will remain in force until rainfall improves and reservoir levels recover sufficiently.
This is not the first disruption in recent weeks. Earlier, Mumbai had also witnessed a temporary 30-hour water shutdown in parts of the city for maintenance and infrastructure work. Authorities have reiterated that the current measure is precautionary and aimed at ensuring uninterrupted water supply during the upcoming monsoon uncertainty.
