Parts of Mumbai witnessed light to moderate rain on Sunday morning, bringing relief from the heat and humidity. The light rains came after the delayed arrival of the southwest monsoon and at a time when the capital of Maharashtra state is facing a water shortage.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said conditions are favorable for the southwest monsoon to advance further across parts of Maharashtra.
Rain is falling in Mumbai, bringing much-needed relief
The monsoon entered the South Konkan earlier this month, but its progress has been slowed by unfavorable weather patterns.
Ramabai Municipal School in Ghatkopar received the highest rainfall between 6 am and 7 am, recording 24 mm, data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed. Kempor Fire Station recorded 20 mm, while Mankhurd Fire Station received 16 mm.
Between 7 am and 8 am, Worli Seaface Municipal School and Savitribai Phule Municipal School recorded the highest rainfall in the city at 25 mm each.
The G-South ward office in Lower Parel received 21 mm, while Worli fire station recorded 17 mm.
It is worth noting that some districts in Maharashtra are under yellow alert by the IMD, including Chandrapur, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli, the Nowcast alert issued by the agency showed.
Water crisis in Mumbai
The city is facing severe water shortage due to delayed monsoon and declining reserves in the seven lakes that provide drinking water to Mumbai.
Mumbai relies heavily on these reservoirs, which are replenished during the rainy season. However, as the monsoon arrived later than usual and flows remained lower than normal, water levels fell before the peak monsoon period.
In the midst of the crisis, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced new restrictions on water use. It imposed a 20% reduction on water supplies for industrial, commercial and sports facilities.
It also decided to cut off water supplies to construction sites and swimming pools. Furthermore, no new water connections to construction sites will be approved until further notice.
The BMC also said that the drinking water it supplies should not be used for washing vehicles, watering gardens or cleaning roads and other buildings. It called on citizens and establishments to use alternative sources of water for these purposes.
With input from agencies
