Mumbai Rains: City's Lakes Nearly 89% Full Amid Incessant Rainfall; Tansa & Modak Sagar Overflowing

Mumbai: The seven lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai have collectively reached 88.81 per cent of their full capacity, as of Saturday, July 26, 2025, easing water security concerns for the city. The Hydraulic Engineer’s Department of the BMC's Master Control Centre, Bhandup Complex, reported that the total useful water content now stands at 12.85 lakh million litres (ML) out of the total capacity of 14.47 lakh ML.

This year's figures mark a sharp rise compared to 2024 and 2023, where the levels stood at 71.02 per cent and 58.93 per cent respectively on the same date.

Bhatsa Lake, which holds the largest share among the seven reservoirs, is currently at 87 per cent capacity with 6.23 lakh ML of water. The lake received 60 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours and has accumulated a total of 1742 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon.

Modak Sagar & Tansa Overflowing

Modak Sagar, Tansa and Middle Vaitarna have either started overflowing or are close to full capacity. Modak Sagar reached 100 per cent capacity and began overflowing on July 9, while Tansa began overflowing on July 23. Middle Vaitarna’s gate numbers 1 and 5 were opened on July 7, and the reservoir is now at 88.07 per cent of its full storage.

Vehar Lake, one of the oldest reservoirs, is at 66.76 per cent capacity, while Tulsi, a smaller but major lake located in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, has reached 70.38 per cent capacity.

The recent surge in lake levels is attributed to continuous and intense rainfall across the catchment areas. On July 25 alone, Bhandup Complex recorded 132 mm of rainfall, bringing its total monsoon rainfall to 1176 mm.

The Upper Vaitarna lake is also showing a steady rise and has reached 80.57 per cent capacity. It began releasing water on July 5. The total stock across Upper Vaitarna, Vaitarna, Tansa, and Middle Vaitarna now stands at 6.37 lakh ML, up from 4.60 lakh ML in 2023.

The BMC has assured citizens that with lakes nearing full capacity and some already overflowing, Mumbai’s water supply is secure for the coming year. Continuous monitoring and regulated gate operations are being undertaken to manage excess water and avoid flooding in surrounding areas.

With rainfall activity still continuing, the lakes are expected to reach full capacity in the coming days.