From El Niño fears to 3-year high: How July rains saved Mumbai’s water supply

3 min readMumbaiJul 28, 2026 12:32 PM IST

Despite an initial delay in the monsoon onset due to El Niño conditions, water levels in the seven lakes supplying Mumbai reached a three-year high Tuesday morning. Combined useful content in the reservoirs stood at 88.81 per cent, or 12.85 lakh million litres against a total capacity of 14.47 lakh million litres. On July 28, 2025, lake levels stood marginally lower at 88.70 per cent, while on the same date in 2024, the stock was at 72.97 per cent.

An island city, Mumbai relies on seven reservoirs for its year-round water supply: Tulsi, Vihar, Bhatsa, Tansa, Modak Sagar, Upper Vaitarna, and Middle Vaitarna. These lakes are spread across suburban Mumbai as well as neighbouring Thane, Palghar, and Nashik districts.

According to data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), four of the seven lakes, Tulsi, Vihar, Modak Sagar, and Tansa, have reached 100 per cent useful capacity. Meanwhile, Middle Vaitarna stands at 90.3 per cent, followed by Bhatsa at 87.36 per cent and Upper Vaitarna at 77.51 per cent. In the 24 hours ending Tuesday morning, Upper Vaitarna recorded 85 mm of rainfall, followed by 72 mm at Bhatsa and 57 mm at Modak Sagar.

In May, when water stock plummeted below 25 per cent, civic authorities imposed water cuts after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) projected below-normal southwest monsoon activity due to the El Niño phenomenon, a natural climate pattern characterised by the warming of ocean surface waters and the weakening of trade winds in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over the Indian region, it has the effect of suppressing rainfall.

While the monsoon typically arrives in Mumbai by the first week of June, its onset was delayed until June 30 this year. However, extremely heavy rains in July offset the late arrival. The IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded 1,490 mm of rainfall in July, far exceeding Mumbai’s average monthly July rainfall of 919 mm.

Water cuts to continue

The BMC supplies 3,850 million litres daily (MLD) to the city against an estimated demand of 4,300 MLD, leaving a deficit of 450 MLD. Despite the recent surges in lake levels, civic officials said that existing water cuts will remain in place until total stocks reach 100 per cent capacity, which typically occurs by the end of September.

Mumbai lakes graphic

Rain intensity to ease temporarily

Rainfall over Mumbai was subdued from Tuesday morning. Between Monday and Tuesday morning, the eastern suburbs received 19.39 mm of rainfall, followed by 10.82 mm in the island city and 10.68 mm in the western suburbs.

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In its 24-hour forecast, the weather bureau predicted light to moderate rain spells for the city and suburbs on Tuesday. The BMC also warned of two high tides: 4.01 metres at 11.45 am and 3.5 metres at 11.30 pm.

Rain activity is expected to increase closer to the weekend. The IMD has issued a new yellow alert for Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar starting Friday. The alert warns of thunderstorms, lightning, moderate rainfall, and gusty winds with speeds of 40 to 50 km/hour.

Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.
Expertise & Authority

Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.

Core Authority: Pratip’s reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:

Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.

City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.

Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:

National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.

State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.

Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.

Experience

Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:

Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).

Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.

Pratip Acharya’s diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India’s critical metropolitan centres. … Read More