Navi Mumbai: With just 43.24% water stock available in Morbe dam—of which only 27.22% is usable—the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has warned of a potential shortage and urged citizens to conserve water, even as questions arise over the absence of desilting at the city’s primary reservoir for over two decades.
Commissioner says usable stock may last only till early August
At the general body meeting, Municipal Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde said the current usable stock may last only till early August and appealed to corporators to mobilise public awareness on water conservation.
Navi Mumbai relies mainly on Morbe dam for drinking water. Morbe dam, with a designed capacity of 190.890 MCM, currently holds 82.557 MCM of water. After reserving emergency stock, 51.957 MCM remains available for consumption.
Shinde cites El Niño projecting only 92-94% of normal rainfall
Citing weather projections, Shinde said rainfall this monsoon may be limited to 92% to 94% of normal due to El Niño. The Morbe catchment typically requires around 3,500 mm rainfall to fill the reservoir, but this year it is expected to receive only about 3,327 mm, raising concerns over water availability in the coming year. “Citizens must use water judiciously, avoid wastage and prevent leakages,” he said.
However, environmentalists have flagged a deeper issue, pointing to the lack of desilting at Morbe dam since it came under NMMC control nearly 25 years ago. According to information obtained by the NatConnect Foundation under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, no desilting work has been carried out at the reservoir.
Kumar says sediment accumulation reduces effective storage capacity yearly
B. N. Kumar of NatConnect said sediment accumulation reduces the dam’s effective storage capacity over time. “On paper, the reservoir may appear healthy, but effective live storage keeps shrinking year after year,” he said.
The dam is officially projected to meet Navi Mumbai’s water needs until 2055, but experts warn that without periodic desilting and scientific capacity assessments, these projections may not hold. Kumar cited the Government of India’s National Framework for Sediment Management, which notes that sedimentation leads to loss of storage capacity and recommends regular surveys and restoration measures.
He added that the current warning over water shortages cannot be attributed to weather alone. “If timely desilting and capacity audits had been carried out, the city would have been in a stronger position to face a weak monsoon,” Kumar said.
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