Mumbai's Water Reserves Drop to 8.3% as Monsoon Delays Raise Alarm
As the monsoon remains delayed in Maharashtra, the combined water levels in the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai have fallen to 8.3% of their useful capacity as of June 22, 2026, according to data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Hydraulic Engineer’s Department.
The seven lakes have a combined useful capacity of 1,447,363 million litres. As of 6 a.m. on Monday, total storage stood at 120,712 million litres.
Mumbai draws its water from seven lakes: five are located in the neighbouring Thane and Nashik districts, while two—Tulsi and Vihar, the smallest reservoirs—are within Mumbai limits.
Water levels in major reservoirs such as Bhatsa, Tansa, and those in the Vaitarna system are critically low. For instance, Bhatsa, the largest reservoir with a capacity of 717,037 million litres, held just 54,918 million litres (7.66%) of useful stock as of Monday.
With the monsoon delayed and the city's daily water demand standing at about 3,950 million litres, water levels have been declining since May 15, 2026, when BMC announced a 10% cut as a precautionary measure. At current consumption rates, the remaining storage provides just over 30 days of supply.
In a stark contrast, the combined useful water levels on June 21, 2025, stood at 25.87%. The sharp decline underscores the severity of the situation as the city awaits the monsoon's arrival.
