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Following a period of heavy rainfall across the city and its catchment areas, Tulsi Lake, the smallest of the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai, also began overflowing on Tuesday night, following Vihar Lake, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced on Wednesday.
Earlier the same evening, Vihar Lake had also started overflowing at 9:00 PM. Both Tulsi and Vihar are the only two lakes located within the BMC limits. According to the BMC's Water Engineering Department, the current overflow is significantly earlier compared to previous years. In 2025, Tulsi Lake overflowed on August 16, and in 2024, it reached its capacity on August 4. Despite the two lakes reaching their maximum levels, the combined water stock in all seven lakes supplying the financial capital currently stands at 41.43 per cent of the total storage capacity. Constructed in 1879 at an estimated cost of Rs 40 lakh, Tulsi Lake remains a vital, albeit small, component of Mumbai's water supply system. It has a live storage capacity of 8.046 billion litres (8,046 million litres) and supplies an average of 18 million litres (1.8 crore litres) of water per day to the city. The lake, situated approximately 35 kilometres from the BMC Headquarters, has a catchment area of about 6.76 sq km. At full capacity, its water spread area is approximately 1.35 sq km. Notably, the excess water that overflows from Tulsi Lake flows directly into Vihar Lake. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds over Mumbai and adjoining districts on Wednesday, even as heavy rain-triggered waterlogging disrupted rail traffic on the Western Railway network. According to the IMD, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated places in Palghar expected to witness extremely heavy rainfall. Wind speeds of 60-70 kmph are also likely over parts of the Konkan region. The weather office said rainfall activity is expected to gradually reduce from July 9 onwards. Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg are also likely to receive heavy rainfall at isolated places. The IMD warned that the intense rainfall could lead to localised flooding in low-lying areas, flash floods, disruption of road, rail, air and ferry services, rough sea conditions along the Konkan coast, landslides in vulnerable areas, and damage to crops and weak structures. It advised people to avoid waterlogged areas, check traffic conditions before travelling and take precautions during thunderstorms. The weather department added that light to moderate rainfall is expected across most districts from July 12, after the initial spell of heavy rain. (ANI)
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