The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday evening issued a nowcast warning for Mumbai, predicting moderate to intense spells of rain in parts of the city.
According to the alert issued at 5 pm on June 18, the IMD said, “Moderate to intense spells of rain very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai during next 3-4 hours.”
Earlier in the day, the weather department predicted that the city and its suburbs were likely to experience a generally cloudy sky with the possibility of heavy rainfall at isolated locations.
A `yellow` alert was issued for Mumbai, forecasting heavy showers at isolated places.
Mumbai has been witnessing moderate to heavy rains in parts of the city on regular intervals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, The water levels in lakes supplying drinking water to Mumbai have risen following heavy rainfall in their catchment areas.
According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data, the combined stock in the seven reservoirs that provide water to the city now stands at 10.19 per cent.
As per BMC records on Wednesday (June 18), the collective water stock in these reservoirs is 1,47,488 million litres, which amounts to 10.19 per cent of their total capacity.
The BMC supplies drinking water daily from Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Vihar, and Tulsi lakes.
Of these, Tansa has 9.99 per cent water stock, Modak Sagar 27.20 per cent, Middle Vaitarna 11.54 per cent, Upper Vaitarna 9.07 per cent, Bhatsa 5.90 per cent, Vihar 35.64 per cent, and Tulsi 34.83 per cent.
Lower (Modak Sagar), Middle and Upper Vaitarna lakes, along with Tansa, supply water to the western suburbs from Dahisar Check Naka to Bandra and to the western parts of the city from Mahim to Malabar Hill.
Bhatsa, Vihar, and Tulsi together form the Bhatsa system. Water from this system is treated at the Panjarpur Water Treatment Plant and distributed to the eastern parts of Mumbai, covering the eastern suburbs from Mulund Check Naka to Sion and further to Mazagaon.
Meanwhile, Powai Lake, one of Mumbai’s prominent artificial lakes managed by the BMC, began overflowing early Tuesday morning after continuous heavy rain over the past two days.
According to civic officials, Powai Lake started to overflow around 6 am on Tuesday due to increased water inflow from its catchment area.
With a storage capacity of 545 crore litres (5.45 billion litres), Powai Lake mainly serves industrial and non-potable needs, including supplying water to Aarey Milk Colony and nearby establishments.
Officials stated that the lake’s water level has reached approximately 195.10 feet, marking its full supply level.
Thane records 29.93 mm rainfall in 11 hours
According to the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) oof the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), the city recorded 29.93 mm of rainfall between 08:30 hrs and 19:30 hrs on Tuesday.
The heaviest spells were observed early in the morning and late in the evening, with 10.92 mm recorded by 09:30 hrs and 11.94 mm by 19:30 hrs. Light showers continued through the day, with brief dry spells around midday.
With this, Thane’s total rainfall for the season has reached 585.06 mm, significantly higher than the 167.00 mm recorded during the same period last year.
