05 July,2026 04:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The current storage is less than half of last year`s level at the same time, raising concerns of water shortage. FILE PIC
Heavy rainfall over the past few days has improved water levels in Mumbai's reservoirs, but the situation remains worrying for Mira-Bhayandar as Barvi Dam - the key source that supplies drinking water to the twin-city - continues to record significantly low storage.
Barvi Dam, located near Badlapur in Thane district, is a major reservoir that provides water to several areas in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Mira-Bhayandar, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi, and parts of Navi Mumbai. The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) receives a substantial portion of its water supply from this dam.
According to the latest update from MBMC, at 7 am on Sunday, the water level in the dam stood at 59.05 metres, well below the overflow level of 72.60 metres.
The live storage is currently 89.31 million cubic metres (MCM), which is just 26.35 per cent of the dam's capacity. There is no irrigation demand at present (0.00 MLD), and no water was released through hydro power generation on June 4.
Sunday's rainfall was recorded at 173.00 mm, bringing the cumulative rainfall this season to 531 mm. However, this is considerably lower compared to last year.
Water level: 67.35 metres
Live storage: 205.61 MCM
Percentage of water: 60.68 per cent
Cumulative rainfall: 1,347 mm
The current storage is less than half of last year's level at the same time, raising concerns of water shortage.
Mumbai's water stock has started showing improvement after continuous spells of heavy rainfall across the city and surrounding regions over the past few days. The seven reservoirs supplying drinking water to Mumbai reached 13.19 per cent of their total useful live storage capacity as of 6 am on Sunday, July 5, according to data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The combined useful live storage across the seven lakes increased to 1,90,898 million litres against the total capacity of 14,47,363 million litres.
However, the current water stock remains lower compared to the same period last year. On the corresponding date in 2025, the lakes had recorded 54.27 per cent storage. In 2024, the water level stood lower at 9.01 per cent.
Officials said the latest spell of rainfall has helped improve the situation, and lake levels are expected to rise further if consistent rain continues in the catchment areas.
The seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai are Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Tansa, Modak Sagar, Vihar and Tulsi.
Among the reservoirs, Upper Vaitarna recorded a water level of 595.83 metres. Its useful live storage stood at 4.31 per cent.
Bhatsa, which is one of the largest contributors to Mumbai's water supply, recorded improved storage levels, reaching 110.30 million litres, or 9.93 per cent of its capacity.
Middle Vaitarna recorded a level of 247.05 metres, with its useful live storage reaching 16.47 per cent. Tansa Lake stood at 120.31 metres and held 11.07 per cent of its capacity.
Collectively, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna and Tansa recorded 13.29 per cent useful live storage.
