Water cuts in Mumbai till Sept end, says BMC

Despite the city receiving good rainfall, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is not taking any chances and will continue with water-cuts till September end, an official said. "Though we are in a better position than last year but to suffice water needs of the city till next monsoon we cannot lift the water cuts. Cuts will remain till September end," Deputy Municipal Commissioner Dinesh Gondalia told PTI in Mumbai.

Due to scanty rainfall, Bihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had since June 2009 imposed water cuts in the city. Currently, residential and commercial users are facing 7 and 30 per cent water cuts respectively. "We will review the situation on October 1 but if Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna overflows before that we might think of reducing or withdrawing water cuts. Four lakes have overflowed but Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna are the largest suppliers and unless they reach the overflow level the crisis is not over,"Gondalia said.

"Presently, both Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna lakes are 6.5 metre and 2.75 metre short from reaching the overflow level respectively," he said. Four other lakes-Tulsi, Modak Sagar, Tansa and the Vihar lake have started overflowing. Total water stock in the six lakes till today is 10.92 lakh million litres as against the requirement of 13.5 lakh mld.

On August 24, 2009, total stock in the six lakes was 7.39 lakh mld. The BMC was supplying only 2,900 mld water to the city for a year now. Following good rainfall, the BMC increased supply to 3,100 mld. While the city's daily demand is 4,250 million litre the civic body supplies around 3,450 million litre per day.