Water levels in Mumbai's seven major reservoirs have fallen below the critical 10% mark, raising fresh concerns over the city's drinking water supply as the southwest monsoon remains delayed. According to data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the combined water stock in the reservoirs stood at 1,39,996 million litres, or 9.67% of total capacity, at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, down from 10.01% recorded a day earlier.

Mumbai depends on seven key lakes—Bhatsa, Modak Sagar, Upper Vaitarna, Tansa, Vihar, Tulsi and Middle Vaitarna—for its daily water requirements. Located across Thane, Palghar, Mumbai and Nashik districts, the reservoirs have a combined storage capacity of 14,47,363 million litres and supply approximately 3.4 billion litres of water to the city every day. Their replenishment is largely dependent on the arrival and progress of the southwest monsoon.

Among the reservoirs, Modak Sagar currently holds nearly 28% of its capacity, while Upper Vaitarna remains completely empty. Tansa is at 4.29% capacity, Middle Vaitarna has 10.34% of its total storage, Bhatsa stands at 8.96%, Vihar at 42% and Tulsi at 22.80%. The uneven distribution of water levels highlights the increasing pressure on Mumbai's water resources as the city awaits widespread rainfall.

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In response to the declining reserves, the BMC has announced a 20% reduction in water supply for commercial establishments and a 10% cut in overall water distribution. The civic body has also directed the immediate suspension of all temporary water connections provided to construction sites as part of measures aimed at conserving the remaining water stock until reservoir levels improve.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the southwest monsoon continues to remain stalled over the south Konkan region. According to Dr. D.S. Pai, Chief Forecaster at the IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, an anticyclonic circulation north of Mumbai and an unfavourable Madden-Julian Oscillation phase are preventing the monsoon from advancing further. A weakened monsoon momentum, influenced by El Niño and other weather systems, has contributed to the delay.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai on Thursday and Friday, warning of hot and humid conditions in isolated parts of the city. However, the weather agency has indicated that conditions may gradually improve from June 20 onwards, with forecasts predicting partly cloudy skies and no heat and humidity alert. Until substantial rainfall arrives, authorities are expected to continue monitoring reservoir levels closely and maintain water conservation measures across the city.

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