Mumbai's Vihar Lake overflows after heavy rains in catchment area, says BMC

Vihar Lake is one of Mumbai`s oldest water reservoirs. Pic/Videograb

Mumbai received a boost to its water supply on Tuesday night as Vihar Lake began overflowing following heavy rainfall in its catchment area, officials said.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the lake started overflowing at 9 pm on July 7, 2026.

Vihar Lake is one of the seven reservoirs that supply drinking water to Mumbai and one of only two located within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation limits.

Overflow comes much earlier than last year

According to the BMC, the lake reached full capacity more than a month earlier than it did in 2025.

In previous years, Vihar Lake overflowed on:

18 August 2025
25 July 2024
26 July 2023

This year's earlier overflow has been attributed to continuous rainfall in the lake's catchment area over the past few days.

Important source of Mumbai's drinking water

Vihar Lake has a usable storage capacity of 27,698 million litres.

Although it is one of the smallest reservoirs supplying Mumbai, it plays an important role in the city's water distribution system.

The lake supplies an average of 90 million litres of drinking water every day to Mumbai.

Officials said the recent rainfall has significantly increased the water level, allowing the reservoir to reach full capacity.

Historic reservoir built in 1859

Vihar Lake is one of Mumbai's oldest water reservoirs. The construction of the lake was completed in 1859 at a cost of around Rs 65.5 lakh, a significant investment at the time.

The reservoir is located about 29 kilometres from the BMC headquarters.

Its catchment area covers approximately 18.96 square kilometres, while the lake spreads across nearly 7.26 square kilometres when full.

Overflow water flows into the Mithi River

Once Vihar Lake reaches its maximum storage level, excess water naturally flows into the Mithi River.

The BMC's Water Engineering Department said the overflow was expected after continuous rainfall across the catchment area.

The civic body continues to monitor water levels across all seven lakes supplying Mumbai as the monsoon progresses.

For more Mumbai Monsoon coverage, including weather forecasts, rain updates, transport disruptions, lake levels and civic advisories, visit our Mumbai Monsoon page.