The Indian Express 27.08.2012
6 lakes register 30% June-Aug rain deficit
While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is still mulling
over when to carry out artificial precipitation through cloud-seeding,
rainfall has been eluding the catchment areas of the lakes supplying
water to the city. The total seasonal rainfall received by the six lakes
from June 1-August 26 is 29.6 per cent less than rainfall in the same
period last year. During the same period, the deviation in Mumbai city
has been much more, with Santacruz recording 49 per cent and Colaba
recording 63 per cent less rainfall this year as against last year.
Accordingly, the availability of water is 22 per cent less as
compared to the same day last year. This difference would have been 26
per cent had it not been for the newly-sanctioned Middle Vaitarna Dam
that has added 59,579 million litres to the total availability in the
season so far. Officials from the hydraulic engineering department said
completion of the seventh dam comes at the right time for the civic
body.
Total rainfall from June 1 to August 26 in the Modaksagar, Tansa,
Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna lakes (situated outside Mumbai limits) along
with the Tulsi and Vihar lakes is 8913.2 mm this year as compared to
12,471.4 mm last year. Similarly, the current availability of water is
8,94,537 million liters as compared to 1104608 million litres on the
same day in 2011 and 1132290 million litres in 2010.
Ramesh Bambale, hydraulic engineer, BMC, said the availability
has to reach a total of at least 1350000 million litres at the end of
the monsoon season for normal supply till the next monsoon. The civic
body has imposed 10 per cent water cut across the city to deal with the
crises. “At present, there are no discussions on the need to increase
the water cut. We are hoping that rainfall in the lakes will catch up
during September,” said Bambale.
The BMC supplies 3,350million litres of water to Mumbai daily as against the actual daily
demand of 4,250 million litres. About 20 per cent of this is lost due to
theft and leakages along the pipelines. Two biggest lakes, Bhatsa and
Upper Vaitarna, account for 59 per cent and 18 per cent of the total
water supply while Modaksagar for 13 per cent and Tansa eight per cent
of the total supply. Tulsi and Vihar, situtated within Mumbai limits
only account for a mere two per cent of the supply.
