Water Level In Mumbai Lakes At Season High As Monsoon Withdrawal Begins
The collective water stock in the reservoirs is now at 14,40,473 million litres till 6:00 am on October 3, which means the water level in Mumbai lakes has reached 99.52% of its full capacity.
Water level in the seven lakes that provide drinking water to Mumbai reached 99.52% on Thursday, according to the data shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. This is highest % of useful water content recorded this Monsoon season.
The collective water stock in the reservoirs is now at 14,40,473 million litres till 6:00 am on October 3. Mumbai receives more than 3,800 MLD (millions of litres per day) of water from seven reservoirs namely, Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Tansa, Modak Sagar, Vihar and Tulsi, located in Mumbai, Thane and Nashik districts.
According to the latest data from the Mumbai civic body, the useful water stock in these seven reservoirs is as follows
Upper Vaitarna: 99.79%
Tansa: 99.18%
Middle Vaitrana: 99.77%
Tulsi: 99.87%
Modak Sagar: 99.93%
Bhatsa: 99.35%
Vihar: 100%
The seven reservoirs -- Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Tansa, Modak Sagar, Vihar and Tulsi -- have 14.40 lakh million litres of water against the full capacity which is around 14.47 lakh million litres. Water levels in the lakes catering to Mumbai had seen a rise due to the prevailing thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in the catchment areas during the last week of September.
Water Level in Mumbai Lakes: 2024 vs 2023
At the same day last year, the collective water stock in the reservoirs was at 14,37,471 million litres. In 2022 the collective water stock was at 14,22,231 million litres.
Mumbai Weather Update
As per the latest weather forecast shared by the Met Department of Mumbai, the city and its suburban areas are likely to witness partly cloudy skies with possibility of drizzles on Thursday, October 3.
As per the latest weather forecast and warnings issued by the Regional Met Centre (RMC) Mumbai, the city and its suburbs will receive light rains for the next 4-5 days. Overall dry weather is expected until October 7.
The October heat will also see Mumbai experience warmer days ahead and with no significant rainfall expected over the next few days the humidity levels will remain high. Mumbai was covered in a smog blanket on Wednesday morning, affecting visibility. The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) slipped to “moderate” category with experts attributing the phenomenon to climatic conditions.
Mumbai Rainfall Statistics
Mumbai recorded 657 mm of rainfall in September which was nearly 80% more than the monthly average of 359.6 mm. The island city had also logged nearly 50% surplus rainfall in July, while the months of June and August saw deficit rainfall.
The southwest monsoon season, which ended on Monday with an 8% surplus in rainfall for the June-September period, is experiencing a delayed withdrawal that is now expected to be completed by October 17, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
When will Monsoon withdraw from Mumbai?
The official date of monsoon withdrawal from Mumbai is October 8. As of Thursday, the line of southwest monsoon withdrawal is passing over Rajasthan and Gujarat. Last year, Mumbai witnessed an early monsoon withdrawal on October 7.
Conditions are favourable for further withdrawal of Southwest Monsoon from remaining parts of West Uttar Pradesh, some more parts of Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of East Rajasthan, some more parts of Gujarat and some parts of Maharashtra during the next 2-3 days.
On Ocrober 2, the Southwest Monsoon had further withdrawn from the entire Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana-Chandigarh and Delhi.
Southwest Monsoon Withdrawal
The India Meteorological Department reported that the 2024 monsoon season concluded with a 7.6% above-average rainfall across the country.
Several regions including Rajasthan, Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh witnessed excess rainfall during the season, according to the latest IMD data.
This marks a significant surplus compared to typical seasonal patterns.
"This year the withdrawal of South West monsoon season started from Sept. 23 with a delay of six days," according to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
"At present, the general date of withdrawal of monsoon from the whole country is Sept. 17," he said, on the new trend of delay in withdrawal of monsoon.
"We estimate that withdrawal of monsoon from the whole country is likely to be completed in the week commencing Oct. 17," Mohapatra said.
Typically, the monsoon begins its withdrawal on September 17 and exits the country by October 15. This year, the withdrawal process was delayed due to a low-pressure system in northwest India with the southwest withdrawal starting on September 23.
The above-normal precipitation in these areas is expected to impact agriculture, water resources, and overall monsoon-related activities.
