Everything you need to know about Mumbai’s 10% water cut, starting today | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiMay 15, 2026 12:13 PM IST
Starting today, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has enforced a 10 per cent water cut across Mumbai as a precautionary measure amid forecasts of below-average monsoon and rising heat levels. Here’s what it means for you.
Q. How will the water cut impact you?
The BMC supplies 3,850 million litres across Mumbai every day. With the 10 per cent cut, the city will receive less water even as summer demand soars.
Expect controlled release of water in residential clusters and weak pressure at taps. The city may have to depend more heavily on tankers, which according to the Mumbai Tankers Association already cater to nearly 550 million litres of additional supply every day.
Q. Is Mumbai the only city affected?
No. The BMC also supplies water to parts of Thane and the Bhiwandi-Nizampur area, so the cut will affect those neighbouring suburbs too.
Q. What can you do to deal with the water cut?
The BMC has issued directives asking citizens to use water judiciously:
1.Check for and fix leaky pipelines, and prevent overflow in tanks
2.Avoid washing vehicles with a hose. Use a wet cloth instead
3.Turn off taps while brushing your teeth
4.Skip showers and bathe with buckets instead
5.Commercial establishments have been asked to prevent water overflow
Q. Is this the first time such a measure has been taken?
No. Mumbai sees water cuts most summers as heat accelerates evaporation in the lakes that supply the city.
In 2023, a cut was imposed after lake levels fell below 10 per cent due to inadequate rainfall. The BMC that year also approached the state government for an emergency quota from state reserves. In May 2024, a 10 per cent cut was again enforced when lake levels fell below 10 per cent.
Q. Why has the cut been implemented this year?
The total stock across Mumbai’s seven lakes currently stands at 3.17 lakh million litres, or 22 per cent of total capacity. While this is higher than previous years, the IMD has forecast below-average rainfall this year due to the El Nino system. The state water resources department directed the BMC to act early to ensure supplies last even if the monsoon is delayed or drier than usual.
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Q. How does the BMC decide when to implement a cut?
The BMC begins monitoring lake levels from November each year, with the aim of ensuring adequate supply until at least June 30.
“We have to ensure that up to 4,000 MLD of potable water is supplied across the city. If the lake levels dip beyond a certain level, the lake doesn’t have enough flow to gush through the pipeline. Moreover, we have to ensure that the stock is sufficient to last till at least June 30, taking into account the possibility of a delayed monsoon,” a former official from the hydraulic department explained.
Q. Where does Mumbai’s water come from?
Mumbai draws its water from seven lakes, Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Vehar and Tulsi, with a combined capacity of 14.47 lakh million litres. Located across Mumbai, Thane and Nashik districts, the lakes are replenished during the monsoon and supply the city through the year via an extensive network of water channels.
