Mumbai residents will continue to face a 10% water cut despite the city’s seven reservoirs reaching around 95% of their combined storage capacity, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) choosing to wait for reservoir levels to reach full capacity before considering a rollback.
The civic administration reviewed the city’s water position during a meeting of the Hydraulic Department on Friday. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar said the restriction would remain in place for now as the BMC wanted to ensure sufficient water reserves for the months ahead.
A senior civic official said the final decision on lifting the water cut would rest with Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide.
“Considering the El Niño conditions and the rainfall forecast, the civic administration is being cautious,” the official said.
The BMC’s approach comes amid concerns over rainfall during the remaining monsoon period. Bikram Singh, Scientist G, IMD Mumbai, said the city recorded healthy rainfall in July but rainfall had remained below normal since August and was expected to continue on a similar trend through September.
“Overall, this year’s rainfall is likely to remain below normal. The BMC takes its decisions based on the forecasts provided by the IMD. Taking the forecast into account, they may have considered that the lake levels may not reach full capacity and therefore decided to continue the water cut,” Singh said.
Localised Shortages Also Reviewed
The meeting also examined complaints about localised water shortages in various parts of Mumbai. Officials were instructed to resolve such issues at the ward level rather than routinely escalating them to the civic headquarters.
“The emphasis was on identifying the root cause of complaints and ensuring immediate corrective measures so that local water supply issues do not escalate to higher ups,” a senior official said.
BMC House Leader Ganesh Khankar backed the decision, stressing the importance of maintaining long-term water security.
“Considering that the effect of El Niño is expected to continue till next August, such a measure is necessary. In the short term, it may cause some difficulties, but in the long term, we will have to think about water security,” he said.
Water Restrictions Introduced in May
The current restrictions were first imposed on May 15, when the BMC introduced a 10% cut as reservoir levels declined. On June 17, restrictions were tightened, including the suspension of water supply to construction sites and swimming pools and a 20% reduction for industrial, commercial and recreational establishments.
Water supply to municipal swimming pools was restored on August 16, while other restrictions remained in force.
The prolonged water cut contrasts with 2024, when the BMC lifted its 10% restriction on July 29 after heavy rainfall improved reservoir storage. The civic body had initially imposed a 5% cut from May 30 and raised it to 10% from June 5 that year.
With rainfall forecasts remaining uncertain, Mumbai’s water restrictions are expected to continue until authorities are satisfied that reservoir levels provide adequate security for the months ahead.
Source: Hindustan Times
