After days of hot, humid and uncomfortable weather, Mumbai will finally feel relief from June 22 onwards, when heavy rainfall activity will most likely increase across the city and surrounding areas. The change in weather is a significant change to Mumbai at a critical time for India’s financial capital, which is in the midst of a water crisis where the monsoon is not happening on time and the lake levels are falling rapidly.
Mumbai will continue to experience hot and humid weather and scattered light rain and thundershowers from now through June 21, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. With weather conditions going to become much more active from Sunday night, there will be widespread showers, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds across the city.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai on June 22 and June 23, warning residents of thunderstorms with lightning, light to moderate rainfall and wind speeds of 30-40 kmph at isolated locations. The Konkan region, which includes Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad, is expected to receive an increase in rainfall in the next couple of days.
While the rain is welcome news, it comes against the backdrop of a water shortage in Mumbai. The latest data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on June 20 says that water levels in the seven lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai have fallen below 10 percent of the storage capacity for Mumbai water supplies. Currently, the live storage is only 9 percent.
The alarming drop in reservoir levels has already forced the BMC to cut off water supply in some parts of the city. So now residents, housing societies and commercial buildings rely on private water tankers to fulfill their daily needs.
The increase in demand has pushed tanker prices up dramatically. Non-potable water, usually used for cleaning and construction, is now priced between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 per 10,000 litres, from Rs 1,500-1,800 earlier. Potable drinking water has also risen dramatically from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500 per 10,000 litres in some places, with up to 25 percent increases in prices.
Meteorologists say the situation could start to improve soon as conditions are favourable for the southwest monsoon to move further into Maharashtra around June 23. The weather department has forecast isolated to scattered rainfall for Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada between June 20 and June 25, and Konkan will see more regular showers during this period.
Some parts of Madhya Maharashtra could also be subject to thunderstorms with lightning and strong winds up to 40 to 50 kmph, with gusts up to 60 kmph between June 22 and June 25. Meanwhile, daytime temperatures in Maharashtra will drop by 2-3 degrees Celsius after June 20, providing some respite from the ongoing heat and humidity.
The week is going to be decisive for Mumbai residents. While the expected rains may provide short-term relief from heat waves and alleviate the crisis in reservoirs, experts say that sustained monsoon activity will be necessary for the longer term to alleviate the water crisis in Mumbai. For now, millions of people are dependent on every drop of rain that falls on the city's thirsty lakes.
