Mumbai: The city’s water stock has reached 81.86 per cent of its total capacity as per data released by the Hydraulic Engineer’s Department at 6:00 am on Saturday, July 19. The combined useful content in all seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai stands at 11,84,796 million litres, a significant improvement over last year’s 5,67,778 million litres on the same date.

Modak Sagar Lake Overflows

Among the lakes, Modak Sagar already begun to overflow as of July 9, reaching 100 per cent capacity with 1,58.3 mm of total rainfall received so far this monsoon. With a current water level of 163.08 metres, it holds 1,28,910 million litres of useful content. The overflow is a positive sign, reflecting strong inflows from recent rainfall.

Middle Vaitarna currently stores the highest volume of water at 1,80,823 million litres, with its level at 282.70 metres. It showed a rise of 0.23 metres in the last 24 hours. The lake has received 1,743 mm of rainfall this season, the highest among all reservoirs.

Upper Vaitarna follows closely, with 1,73,014 million litres of useful content at a level of 601.83 metres. However, the lake showed a slight drop of 0.04 metres since the last report. It has received 1,097 mm of rainfall so far.

Tansa and Bhatsa are also showing promising figures. Tansa stands at 132,359 million litres (91.23 per cent of its useful content), while Bhatsa holds 5,51,229 million litres with a 0.20-metre rise since the previous day. Bhatsa has received 1,483 mm of rainfall, indicating healthy catchment inflows.

Meanwhile, Vihar and Tulsi, the smaller lakes, contribute relatively less but have seen steady rain. Vihar stands at 14,674 million litres, and Tulsi at 4,327 million litres.

The BMC also confirmed that Upper Vaitarna began releasing water on July 5, while Middle Vaitarna’s gates were opened on July 17. The surge in water stock has eased concerns about water supply in Mumbai for the coming months.

With reservoirs nearing full capacity, the civic body is optimistic about uninterrupted water supply, provided rainfall continues consistently through the rest of the monsoon.

Pune (Maharashtra): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray’s scathing remarks against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have triggered a fresh political storm, now spilling onto the streets of Pune. In retaliation, the rival faction, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has launched a poster campaign across the city, targeting Aaditya Thackeray personally and politically.

About The Posters

The posters, displayed at key junctions and public areas in Pune put out by Shivsena Pune City Chief Pramod (Nana) Bhangire, depict Aaditya as a cartoon character. One of the posters reads: “This battery will soon get drained… it runs on nepotism.”

Another takes a jibe at the ongoing investigation into the Mithi River Development Scam, stating: “Just keep counting… see how many will land in jail.”

This comes just days after Aaditya Thackeray publicly lashed out at Eknath Shinde in the Maharashtra Assembly and in media interactions. Without directly naming Shinde, Thackeray had called him a “traitor,” “thankless,” and “shameless” person who betrayed former CM Uddhav Thackeray despite being handed the powerful Urban Development portfolio.

About The Remarks

The remarks came amid heightened tensions during the ongoing monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature, where opposition leader Bhaskar Jadhav had also accused Speaker Rahul Narwekar of bias and suppressing voices of the opposition during a debate session, which was raised under Rule 293 by Bhaskar Jadhav .

The public display of political rivalry via posters suggests that the battle between the Shiv Sena factions is not just confined to the assembly but is now being waged openly on the streets, ahead of the upcoming civic body elections and crucial political alignments.

About Govt’s Move To Rename Islampur As Ishwarpur

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government’s move to rename Islampur as Ishwarpur has come in for criticism from the opposition benches. Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh criticised the Government’s decision saying that the focus should be on improving basic facilities like water, roads and public spaces.

“Rename Islampur as Ishwarpur, do everything but besides this, also work for the welfare of the city. There is no proper drinking water facility or roads there. There are no gardens and playgrounds there. People are living in increasingly worse conditions. So, how long will you fool people like this?” he said.

Shiv Sena-UBT Leader Ambadas Danve’s Statement

Reacting to this, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said, “This government is only interested in creating casteism and conflicts.” Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader Jayant Patil also claimed that there were very few people behind the demand to rename Islampur as Ishwarpur.

“There were very few people who had been demanding this change for some years. This does not mean the locals wanted this, too,” Patil said.

Leaders from the Mahayuti government defended the decision. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis maintained that the name change was a response to a long-standing public demand.

Mumbai: Following the recent suicide of a doctor at J.J. Hospital who jumped from the Atal Setu, another female doctor from the same hospital attempted to take her own life in her hostel room on Thursday night. She was promptly given medical treatment, and her condition is currently stable.

The hospital administration, along with the Department of Medical Education and Research, has set up independent committees to investigate the incident. The doctor ingested an overdose of medication but was quickly admitted to the hospital by her colleagues, which helped save her life. Her parents in Uttar Pradesh have been informed about the situation.

The exact reasons behind her suicide attempt remain unclear. Dr. Ajay Bhandarwar, Dean of J J Hospital, stated that the findings of the two separate inquiry committees, one at the hospital and another by the Department of Medical Education and Research, will provide clarity once their reports are submitted.