Mumbai's water crisis worsening? Delayed monsoon pushes water storage in lakes below 7%

Mumbai is once again facing a familiar summer concern: will the city have enough water despite monsoon showers?The country's financial capital and its metropolitan region rely heavily on rainfall for their water supply. Mumbai receives its drinking water from seven reservoirs — Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Tulsi and Vihar.Unlike several other metropolitan cities, Mumbai has no major alternative source of potable water, making a healthy monsoon crucial for meeting its drinking water needs.Concerns have grown over the city's water supply following the delayed arrival of the southwest monsoon. According to data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Hydraulic Engineer's Department, the combined live storage in the seven reservoirs has fallen to below 7 per cent, significantly lower than the level recorded at the same time last year.During the corresponding period in 2025, the seven reservoirs held 39.5 per cent of their total live storage capacity.The latest data showed a slight decline in water reserves from Sunday, when the reservoirs collectively held 1,02,460 million litres of water, equivalent to 7.08 per cent of their total useful storage capacity after recent rainfall.Which reservoirs have the highest water levels?Among Mumbai's seven reservoirs, Vihar and Tulsi have the highest storage levels. Vihar currently holds 12,499 million litres of water, accounting for 45.13 per cent of its useful live storage capacity. Tulsi has 1,952 million litres of water, taking its storage to 24.26 per cent.Bhatsa, one of Mumbai's main sources of drinking water, contains 39,636 million litres of useful water, or 5.53 per cent of its live storage capacity. The reservoir received 8 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, taking its cumulative seasonal rainfall to 96 mm.Modak Sagar currently holds 23,819 million litres of water, or 18.47 per cent of its useful capacity, while Middle Vaitarna contains 22,308 million litres, accounting for 11.53 per cent of its storage capacity.Tansa continues to have the lowest water level, with just 65 million litres of water, representing only 0.05 per cent of its total capacity. Upper Vaitarna remains below the Lower Draw Down Level (LDL), and officials have treated its useful storage as zero.According to the report, water release operations at Upper Vaitarna began at 11 am on June 22, while the Middle Vaitarna WSCPO gates were opened at 11 am on June 23.How much rainfall have the reservoirs received?Heavy rainfall was recorded across the catchment areas. The Bhandup Complex received 191 mm of rain in the past 24 hours, taking its seasonal total to 386 mm.Tulsi recorded the highest rainfall among all reservoirs during the past 24 hours, receiving 179 mm, followed by Vihar with 112 mm. Modak Sagar received 38 mm of rain, while Bhatsa recorded 8 mm.Why is Mumbai facing water concerns?The monsoon usually reaches Mumbai around June 10, but its arrival was delayed this year. In contrast, the city received the monsoon much earlier than usual last year, when it arrived in May.The delayed onset and slow progress of the rains have raised concerns over water availability, prompting the BMC to closely monitor reservoir levels and take steps to conserve water.Following directions from the Maharashtra government's Water Resources Department, the BMC has introduced water conservation measures to manage the city's drinking water supply. Earlier this month, the Hydraulic Engineer's Department issued a detailed circular outlining the procedures to be followed during the period of water cuts.The civic body imposed a 10 per cent water cut across Mumbai from May 15. It later tightened restrictions for industrial and commercial users by introducing a 20 per cent water cut from June 17.About the AuthorKanishka SinghariaKanishka Singharia is a Senior Content Producer at Mint with a passion for news, trends, and the stories shaping the digital world. She specialises in spotting viral narrat