IMD issues rain alert for Konkan, Vidarbha, moderate rainfall to continue in Mumbai

The intensity of rainfall is likely to reduce from Thursday in the city. IMD has forecast moderate rainfall till the end of the week for Mumbai. “The low-pressure area is likely to weaken gradually during the next 48 hours and move west-north-westwards as a cyclonic circulation across north Odisha, north Chhattisgarh & north Madhya Pradesh during subsequent 3 days,” it said in its afternoon bulletin.

In the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Tuesday, light rainfall was recorded in the city and suburbs. On Tuesday, in nine hours ending at 5:30 pm, IMDs Santacruz observatory recorded moderate rainfall at 37.2 mm. With the rainfall on Tuesday, two degrees drop in the day temperature was recorded at 28.8 mm.

After a prolonged dry spell in August, which resulted in the city’s fourth-driest August in 10 years, due to favourable conditions, rainfall in the city has been normal since the start of this month.

The city’s September rainfall (till September 20) stood at 117 per cent surplus on Tuesday. Since September 1, Mumbai recorded 498.9 mm rain. The average rainfall for September in Mumbai is 327.1 mm.

The state’s seasonal rainfall stood 12 per cent surplus on Tuesday. Except for the Sangli district, which recorded 59 per cent deficient rainfall this month, the remaining 35 districts have recorded normal, excess to large excess rainfall in September.

Meanwhile, the seven lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai are at present holding 99.41 per cent water of their total capacity, showed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data on Tuesday. Last year around this time, the lakes were holding 98.01 per cent water of their cumulative capacity.

Mumbai draws water from Bhatsa, Middle Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, Tansa and Modak Sagar in Thane and Nashik districts and Tulsi and Vihar, the two lakes located within city limits inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

According to data shared by the civic body, the seven lakes already have 14,38,850 million litre water or 99.41 per cent against the total capacity of 14.47 lakh million litres. In 2019, the water stock stood at 98.04 per cent of the total capacity.