Mumbai: Tansa becomes fourth lake to overflow after good rains

With good rainfall in the catchment areas in the last few days, the Tansa lake, a key source of potable water for Mumbai, started overflowing on Thursday evening, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. Tansa, located in adjoining Thane district, is the fourth reservoir after Tulsi, Vihar, and Modak Sagar, to get filled to the brim, they said.

"The Tansa lake started overflowing today at 7.05pm. Last year, this lake had overflowed on July 25," a senior civic official said.

Seven reservoirs- Modak Sagar, Vihar and Tulsi, Bhatsa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Tansa- supply water to the megapolis. The total water stock in all the seven reservoirs taken together stood at 87.20 per cent of their storage capacity as on August 20, he said. On Wednesday, the BMC announced to reduce from August 21 the water cut to 10 per cent from the existing 20 per cent. The civic body had imposed 20 per cent water cut in Mumbai from August 5, as there was less than 50 per cent water stock in these seven lakes that supply 3,750 lakh million litres drinking water to the city. The water of Powai lake, which overflowed earlier, is not used for drinking purposes, the BMC officials said.

Meanwhile, chief of Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), Santosh Kadam, said water is being discharged through 13 gates of the Tansa reservoir. Villages located along the Tansa river and reservoir have been alerted after the discharge of water, the official said. Besides, villages along the Bhatsa river have been put on alert, he said.