Mumbai will face a 10% water cut from May 15 after Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced precautionary restrictions amid declining water supply levels across the city. The decision was announced on May 11, by the BMC’s Water Resources Department. The 10% reduction in water supply will also apply to Thane, the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation area, and nearby villages receiving water from the BMC supply network. The move is aimed at ensuring water availability lasts until the monsoon adequately replenishes the reservoirs.

Reservoir levels fall to 23.52%

According to BMC, the total available water stock in the city’s reservoirs currently stands at 3,40,399 million litres against the annual capacity of 14,47,363 million litres. This means only 23.52% of the usable water stock remains available as of May 11. Civic officials said the measure has been introduced due to low existing water stock, rising temperatures, increased evaporation, and concerns surrounding a weaker monsoon forecast linked to El Niño conditions.

Additional water to be drawn from Bhatsa & Upper Vaitarna

To manage the situation, Mumbai will receive additional reserve water from two major dams. The BMC said the city will get 1,47,092 million litres from the Bhatsa Dam and another 90,000 million litres from the Upper Vaitarna Dam’s storage.

BMC urges residents to save water

Further, BMC has appealed to residents not to panic and to use water responsibly. Citizens have been advised to adopt water-saving practices such as using buckets instead of showers, avoiding running taps while brushing, checking pipelines for leaks, and reducing unnecessary water usage while cleaning vehicles and homes.