India, April 25 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started the process to desilt its drinking water lakes, with surveys underway to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and assess feasibility, guardian minister Ashish Shelar said on Thursday.

For its daily water supply, the city depends on seven reservoirs: Vihar, Tulsi, Tansa, Modak Sagar, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna and Bhatsa. These sources provide around 4,000 million litres per day (MLD) against a demand of 4,505 MLD.

None of the lakes have been desilted so far, raising concerns about reduced storage capacity over time. A 2022 report on the National Framework on Sediment Management says sediment build-up reduces reservoir efficiency and can affect long-term ...