New Delhi, July 8, 2026

Relentless monsoon rainfall has brought encouraging news for Mumbai's water reserves, as Tulsi Lake overflowed on Tuesday night after continuous showers across the city and its catchment areas. The development came shortly after Vihar Lake also reached full capacity, marking an early boost to the city's water supply while highlighting the intensity of this year's monsoon.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said Vihar Lake began overflowing at 9:00 PM on Tuesday, followed later by Tulsi Lake. These are the only two lakes located within the BMC limits. According to the BMC's Water Engineering Department, Tulsi Lake has reached its capacity much earlier than in previous years, having overflowed on August 16 in 2025 and August 4 in 2024. However, despite both reservoirs overflowing, the total water stock across Mumbai's seven lakes currently stands at 41.43 per cent of the overall storage capacity.

Constructed in 1879 at an estimated cost of ₹40 lakh, Tulsi Lake remains an important part of Mumbai's water supply system. It has a live storage capacity of 8.046 billion litres and supplies an average of 18 million litres of water daily. Situated around 35 kilometres from the BMC Headquarters, the lake has a catchment area of about 6.76 square kilometres and a water spread area of nearly 1.35 square kilometres at full capacity. Excess water from Tulsi Lake flows directly into Vihar Lake.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds across Mumbai and neighbouring districts, with isolated areas of Palghar likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall. The weather department has warned that intense rain could trigger localised flooding, flash floods, disruption to road, rail, air and ferry services, rough sea conditions, landslides in vulnerable areas, and damage to crops and weak structures. People have been advised to avoid waterlogged locations, check traffic conditions before travelling and remain cautious during thunderstorms. While rainfall is expected to gradually reduce from July 9, light to moderate showers are likely to continue across most districts from July 12, keeping authorities on alert.