Mumbai, Aug 1 (IANS): Starting August on a happy note, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that in July’s bountiful rains, Mumbai has got 78.40 per cent drinking water stocks, here on Thursday.

The month had opened with the BMC staring gloomily at the rock-bottom levels – barely 5 per cent – and anxiously glancing at the skies, waiting for the monsoon to settle down, after a sluggish start.

Today, the civic body said that the seven freshwater lakes supplying potable water have notched up an average of more than three-fourths of the annual water requirements of the country’s commercial capital.

The reservoirs: Upper Vaitarna (current level 600.01 metres/full supply level 603.51 m.); Middle Vaitarna (279.47 m/285.0 m.); Modak Sagar (163.15 m./163.15 m. overflowing); Tansa (128.57 m./128.63 m.); Bhatsa (135.63 m./142.07); Vehar (80.25 m./80.12 m. overflowing); and Tulsi (138.20 m./13.17 m. overflowing).

The current levels of all the lakes compare quite favourably with the past couple of years as of July 31: 12,85,251 million litres (2022), 11,07,181 ml (2023), and 11,34,736 ml (2024).

An official said that with roughly another five to seven weeks of monsoon still left to cover up the balance, the drinking water supply till monsoon 2025 is expected to be comfortable without the spectre of water cuts.