Mumbai: After a somewhat arid July and a mildly hot August, the rain gods finally showered their blessings on the city, providing it relief with some much-needed heavy showers yesterday. With the weather patterns finally shifting, our lakes are re-filling, bringing delight to civic officials and residents of our parched city. Now, with the weather gods being considerate, the BMC is expecting a considerable rise in the lake levels. The rise in the lake level would mean enough water for the city in the coming months, as the water stored till date is 9,03,348 million litres per day (MLD), which means the city has sufficient water to last for almost 260 days.
The water level in almost all the seven lakes has risen since rains lashed the city yesterday, and with the Meteorological department’s predicting heavy rainfall for the next 24 hours, chances of Tansa Lake overflowing soon are certain. Tansa is just one metre away from its overflow mark, whereas the Tulsi Lake is just 2 metres from breaching the overflow mark.
The rainfall received in the catchments of all lakes is considerably high in comparison to last week. Tansa received 50.40 millimetres whereas newly added Middle Vaitarna received the highest rainfall of 55.80 millimetres. “We are hoping for continuous rainfall, as it will help reduce the city’s water woes. With 24 hours heavy rainfall predicted, we expect a considerable increase in the lake levels which will be helpful in supplying water to the city without enforcing a water cut,” said a BMC spokesperson.
Ramesh Bambale, BMC chief hydraulic engineer, said, “We are hoping that the lake levels rise soon so that we can get sufficient water. A decision on water cuts will be reviewed by September 15, and the preparation for cloud seeding is in progress as the rainfall is tentative.”
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