The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is considering imposing an additional 10% water cut in the first week of July if reservoir levels do not improve following the anticipated rainfall in late June.
Mumbai is facing growing water supply concerns as the combined storage in the seven reservoirs that provide drinking water to the city has fallen below 10% of total capacity.
The seven lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai collectively contained 1,35,139 million litres (ML) of water, or 9.34% of their total live storage capacity, according to the BMC's reservoir status report released at 6:00 am on Friday, June 19, 2026.
The civic body has already implemented a 10% water cut and is drawing additional reserve water from state-owned sources to manage demand.
According to Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, the existing water stock, along with the reserve supply, is expected to meet the city's requirements until around August 20.
The issue was discussed during a meeting where corporators from across political parties sought details on the civic administration's preparedness and contingency plans. Bangar acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, noting that weather patterns linked to El Niño could lead to higher temperatures later in the year, increasing evaporation losses from reservoirs.
He pointed to 2009 as an example, when prolonged water shortages forced authorities to continue water cuts for much of the year. While significant rainfall is expected in July, officials remain cautious.
Residents in tail-end and elevated localities have been among the worst affected by the ongoing water restrictions. Reduced water pressure has made it difficult for water to reach upper floors of buildings and distant neighbourhoods.
Bangar said even residents of chawls have reported shortages. To address the problem, the BMC has deployed water tankers to affected areas and is taking measures to maintain adequate pressure in the local distribution network wherever possible.
The civic administration has assured residents that it is closely monitoring reservoir levels and will take further decisions based on rainfall and the city's water requirements in the coming weeks.
It is pertinent to note that the civic body is constructing a water treatment plant with a capacity of 2000 million liters per day at the Bhandup Complex. Under this project, the engineers from the Water Supply Project Department have saved approximately 7 crore 48 lakh rupees in the work of relocating ultra-high voltage electric towers.