08 July,2026 11:13 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
According to the BMC, Tulsi Lake is among the two reservoirs located within the municipal limits. Pic/SGNP
Tulsi Lake, one of the seven reservoirs supplying water to Mumbai, started overflowing at 11:43 pm on Tuesday, July 7, following heavy rainfall in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
According to the BMC, Tulsi Lake is among the two reservoirs located within the municipal limits and is the smallest lake in Mumbai's water supply network.
The civic body said Vihar Lake began overflowing at 9 pm on Tuesday, followed by Tulsi Lake at 11:43 pm on the same night. With steady rainfall in the catchment areas, the total water stock across the reservoirs supplying water to Mumbai has reached 41.43 per cent of the overall storage capacity.
According to the BMC, Tulsi Lake had overflowed on August 16 last year, while in 2024, the lake reached its full capacity on August 4.
The BMC's Hydraulic Engineer Department said the lake started overflowing after consistent rainfall was recorded in its catchment area over the past few days.
Tulsi Lake has a useful water storage capacity of 8,046 million litres and supplies an average of 18 million litres of water to Mumbai every day.
The artificial lake, located around 35 kilometres from the BMC headquarters, was completed in 1879. According to the civic body, the construction of the reservoir cost around Rs 40 lakh at the time.
The catchment area of Tulsi Lake is spread across nearly 6.76 square kilometres. When filled to capacity, the water spread area of the lake is approximately 1.35 square kilometres.
The BMC said that once Tulsi Lake reaches full capacity, the excess water flows into Vihar Lake.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds over Mumbai and adjoining districts on Wednesday.
According to the IMD, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated places in Palghar expected to witness extremely heavy rainfall. Wind speeds of 60-70 kmph are also likely over parts of the Konkan region.
The weather office said rainfall activity is expected to gradually reduce from July 9 onwards. Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg are also likely to receive heavy rainfall at isolated places.
The IMD warned that the intense rainfall could lead to localised flooding in low-lying areas, flash floods, disruption of road, rail, air and ferry services, rough sea conditions along the Konkan coast, landslides in vulnerable areas, and damage to crops and weak structures. It advised people to avoid waterlogged areas, check traffic conditions before travelling and take precautions during thunderstorms.
The weather department added that light to moderate rainfall is expected across most districts from July 12, after the initial spell of heavy rain.
