Torrential Downpour Causes Tulsi Lake to Reach Capacity
Heavy Rain Causes Mumbai's Tulsi Lake and Other Reservoirs to Overflow
Mumbai, August 17, 2025 — The city's Tulsi Lake has started overflowing due to continuous heavy rainfall, contributing to the high water levels in Mumbai's reservoir system. The lake, one of the seven key drinking water reservoirs for Mumbai, began overflowing on August 16, around 6:45 am. This overflow occurred 26 days later compared to last year.
Tulsi Lake, located in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, has a storage capacity of 8,046 million litres and supplies about 18 million litres of water daily to the city. When Tulsi Lake overflows, excess water is channeled into the Vihar Lake, which has not yet reached maximum capacity until very recently.
According to the latest data, the water stocks in all seven reservoirs supplying Mumbai have surged past 90%, with some reports citing over 92% and others over 96% capacity. Vihar Lake is currently at peak capacity (27,698 million litres) and started overflowing recently. Tulsi Lake remains at its full capacity after overflowing.
The monsoon has intensified again over the past two days, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue red and orange alerts for 16 districts in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, and Sindhudurg. Raigad and Ratnagiri districts have been placed under a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall.
The IMD has urged citizens to remain cautious during the next 48 hours, with heavy to moderate rains forecasted to continue through August 28 to 31. This could maintain or increase reservoir water levels in the coming days. People are advised to avoid unnecessary travel, stay in safe shelters during heavy downpours, and farmers have been requested to take protective measures for their crops.
The Tulsi lake, which started overflowing on Saturday, has become the third reservoir to overflow this monsoon after Tansa and Modak Sagar. The six out of seven reservoirs, including the Tulsi and Powai lakes, are now overflowing, with Powai Lake already overflowing since June. The overall abundant rainfall has ensured a stable supply of water for Mumbai's needs for the coming months.
References: 1. India Today 2. The Times of India 3. The Hindu 4. NDTV
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