Heavy rains bring relief to water-hit Mumbai residents

Mumbai - Civic officials said there was good rainfall in the catchment areas along the Western ghats, which had resulted in a sharp rise in the lake levels.

 Heavy rains over the past few days over Mumbai, coastal Maharashtra and even other parts of the state have brought relief to the citizens and reduced pressures on the authorities to enhance the cut in water supplies.
The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) had enforced a 20 per cent water cut following insufficient rainfall during the first three months of the monsoon. Seven lakes in and around the metropolis of 15 million-plus residents supply about 3,750 million litres of water daily.
Unlike during normal monsoon years, most of the lakes had still not overflown. Usually by September many of the lakes cross the overflow mark. But after the heavy rains over the past few days the water level at Middle Vaitarna lake almost breached the overflow mark of 285m. BMC officials had to release water from the gates into the Modak Sagar lake on Saturday.
Civic officials said there was good rainfall in the catchment areas along the Western ghats, which had resulted in a sharp rise in the lake levels. The water stock in all the seven lakes has also crossed the trillion-litre level, enough to ensure supplies till June 2016.
The heavy rains have come towards the end of the season. But the south-west monsoon is expected to withdraw from India by the end of this month or in early October. The monsoons have been erratic this year, with June witnessing excess rainfall, but July and August experiencing meagre rainfall. September has so far been good for central India, which covers Mumbai, coastal Maharashtra, Marathawada and Vidarbha.
According to the India Meteorological Department, Konkan and Goa have witnessed a shortfall of 31 per cent so far. The shortfall in central Maharashtra and Marathawada have come down following heavy rainfall over the past few days; it was 28 per cent deficit in central Maharashtra and 34 per cent in Marathawada on Sunday and just seven per cent in Vidarbha.
Drought-like conditions have prevailed in Marathawada over the past few weeks following a virtual failure of the monsoon. But last week has seen good rainfall, especially in five of the eight districts in the region.
Three districts - Beed, Osmanabad and Latur - are facing the worst-ever drought of the century and more than 400 farmers have committed suicide this year. Marathawada is one of the backward regions of the state, with hardly any irrigation projects implemented by the government. Whatever little water is there in the region is consumed by sugarcane farmers.
nithin@khaleejtimes.com 

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