Mumbai’s drinking water reserves witnessed a significant increase after continuous rainfall over the past two days, with the combined storage of the city’s seven reservoirs reaching 61.9% of their total capacity on Wednesday.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the reservoirs received an additional nearly 60,000 million litres of water in the last 24 hours, taking the total storage to 8,95,907 million litres.

Seven reservoirs receive strong inflows

Mumbai depends on seven lakes—Bhatsa, Modak Sagar, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Tansa, Vihar and Tulsi—for its drinking water supply. These reservoirs are located across Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Nashik districts and largely rely on monsoon rainfall.

After water levels had dropped below 6% earlier this season, storage gradually recovered to around 50% in early July before inflows slowed as rainfall weakened. A fresh spell of monsoon showers this week has once again accelerated the replenishment of the reservoirs.

During the corresponding period last year, the combined water stock stood at more than 85.32% of total capacity.

Vihar and Tulsi remain full, Tansa nears overflow

Among the seven reservoirs, Vihar and Tulsi continued to remain at 100% capacity.

Tansa reached 97.96% of its storage capacity, making it one of the reservoirs closest to overflowing if rainfall continues. Modak Sagar was more than 90% full, while Bhatsa, the city’s largest source of drinking water, stood at 57.27% capacity.

Meanwhile, Middle Vaitarna recorded 53% storage, while Upper Vaitarna remained at 39% capacity.

BMC data also showed that the catchment areas received between 70 mm and 224 mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours, supporting further inflows into the reservoirs.

IMD issues rain alerts for Mumbai and nearby districts

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai until Thursday, forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated locations along with strong winds.

The weather department said the city is likely to witness a generally cloudy sky with moderate to heavy rainfall at a few places across Mumbai and its suburbs over the next 48 hours. Gusty winds reaching 50–60 kmph are also expected during this period.

The IMD has also issued an orange alert for Thane and Palghar, where heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places. Nashik remains under a yellow alert until Thursday due to the possibility of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.

With the monsoon remaining active over the reservoir catchment areas, officials expect Mumbai’s water storage to continue improving in the coming days.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday placed five demands before the Centre after he and several senior Congress leaders were detained during a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence over the alleged NEET paper leak controversy.

The developments came after a day of political confrontation in the national capital, with the Opposition intensifying its protests over action taken against student demonstrators.

Rahul Gandhi demands resignations and reforms

While in detention, Rahul Gandhi released a video message outlining five demands for the government. He called for the resignations of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the controversy.

He also demanded action against police personnel accused of assaulting students during Monday’s protests and sought the withdrawal of cases registered against students.

Rahul Gandhi further asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for the crackdown on protesters, sought a discussion on the issue in Parliament, and called for education and examination reforms at the earliest.

Congress leaders detained during protest

Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several Congress leaders were detained by Delhi Police while staging a sit-in outside the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg. They were later released in the evening.

Rahul Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was taken to Mandir Marg police station. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited Priyanka Gandhi during her detention.

Questioning the country’s education system, Rahul Gandhi alleged that recurring examination paper leaks and rising education costs had created serious concerns for students and their families. He also said the Opposition wanted the matter to be discussed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Government accuses Congress of politicising the issue

Earlier in the day, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh met Rahul Gandhi at the protest site and held discussions for around 30 minutes.

Later, Singh alleged that Rahul Gandhi had changed his demands after the government agreed to discuss the NEET issue in Parliament, claiming the Congress leader subsequently insisted on the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Responding to the protest, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of exploiting students for political purposes. He said the government had already expressed its willingness to hold a comprehensive discussion in Parliament and alleged that the Opposition was choosing political confrontation over democratic debate.

The political confrontation is expected to continue as the Opposition presses the government over the alleged examination paper leak issue.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted from Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on Tuesday evening after the Delhi High Court directed his immediate transfer for further treatment.

Hospital authorities said Wangchuk was discharged from VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital at 6:40 pm and handed over to a medical team from Medanta in compliance with the court’s order issued on July 21.

Court orders transfer and continuous monitoring

A bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed that Wangchuk be shifted to Medanta Hospital without delay.

The court also instructed the hospital’s director to constitute a team of doctors with the required expertise to continuously monitor his health. It said the medical team should administer treatment in accordance with accepted medical protocols, which Wangchuk must follow.

The order came on an appeal filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, challenging an earlier High Court decision that had declined to interfere with his treatment at Safdarjung Hospital or permit his transfer to Medanta.

Medical condition stable at discharge

According to Safdarjung Hospital, Wangchuk’s vital parameters were stable at the time of discharge.

However, doctors said pancytopenia continued to persist and his serum potassium level was recorded at 3.4 mEq/L.

The hospital added that all medical records, investigation reports and treatment documents were handed over to the Medanta medical team to ensure continuity of care.

Court cites constitutional rights

In its order, the Delhi High Court observed that Wangchuk should be allowed to receive treatment at a hospital of his choice, saying such a decision was protected under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite fast since June 28 over alleged examination irregularities.