August 22, 2026

July 2026

Inside video: Aamir Khan and Gauri Spratt share kiss while dancing at wedding

Inside video: Aamir Khan and Gauri Spratt share kiss while dancing at wedding

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

Irfan Pathan shared a video from Aamir Khan and Gauri Spratt’s intimate Bandra wedding, capturing their vows, celebratory dance, and an affectionate hug and kiss. He congratulated the newlyweds on Instagram. The couple married in a private, registered ceremony on Sunday, attended by family, including Azad Rao Khan and Zeenat Hussain. Former India cricketer Irfan…

Read More
Saturn’s Gaze: Never Wear a Tortoise Ring If You Belong to These 4 Zodiac Signs

Saturn’s Gaze: Never Wear a Tortoise Ring If You Belong to These 4 Zodiac Signs

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

The tortoise ring is often worn as a symbol of stability, protection, patience, wealth, and slow but steady development. According to Vastu and astrology, the tortoise is associated with grounding energy, long life, support and protection from sudden disturbances. Many people wear it to bring prosperity and peace. But a tortoise ring isn’t everyone’s thing….

Read More
‘Mamata Banerjee treated Trinamool MPs and MLAs as servants’: BJP slams ex-Bengal CM amid TMC infighting

‘Mamata Banerjee treated Trinamool MPs and MLAs as servants’: BJP slams ex-Bengal CM amid TMC infighting

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee (ANI) NEW DELHI: Amid infighting in the Trinamool Congress (TMC), West Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha on Sunday accused TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee of reducing her party’s elected representatives to “mere servants.”Sinha referred to TMC rebel faction leader Ritabrata Banerjee’s claim that, after the party’s electoral defeat, its MLAs were asked…

Read More
All 13 diverted flights were later able to return and land safely in Mumba. NEW DELHI: Heavy rain and strong winds wreaked havoc across Mumbai on Sunday, disrupting air travel, claiming a life and triggering fresh political sparring over the city’s monsoon preparedness. Flight operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were severely affected after runway operations were suspended for about an hour, while the India Meteorological Department retained a red alert, warning of more intense rainfall.Flight operations hit Heavy rain and gusty winds forced Mumbai International Airport to suspend runway operations between 10.17 am and 11.17 am, disrupting both arrivals and departures.The weather forced the cancellation of four IndiGo flights and the diversion of 13 incoming aircraft operated by different airlines. All the diverted flights later returned to Mumbai and landed safely after conditions improved, according to sources.The airport operator said the suspension was necessary to ensure operational safety.”At approximately 10.17 am, adverse weather conditions, including strong gusty winds of up to 42 knots and reduced visibility due to heavy rain, impacted runway operations.”It added that runway operations were “temporarily suspended” to ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft and ground personnel before normal services resumed about an hour later.Delays mount across airportThe disruption left passengers stranded as delays spread across the airport. According to Flightradar24, around 90% of departing flights were delayed by an average of 65 to 75 minutes, while between 45% and 62% of arriving flights were running late, depending on the time of the data update. The airport operator did not disclose the total number of delayed or cancelled flights.Air Traffic Control sources said Mumbai airport handles between 980 and 1,000 flights every day, averaging around 48 aircraft movements every hour, comprising 24 arrivals and 24 departures.IndiGo cancels four servicesAccording to sources, the cancelled IndiGo flights were 6E 395 from Delhi to Mumbai, 6E 5273 from Mumbai to Indore, 6E 552 from Indore to Mumbai and 6E 6613 from Mumbai to Delhi.The airline said it was monitoring the evolving weather situation.”Bad weather over Delhi and Mumbai has impacted flight schedule. We are closely monitoring the weather….we request you that you stay updated on your flight status,”IndiGo, however, did not specifically mention the four cancelled services in its statement.Heavy rain turns fatalThe relentless rainfall also claimed a life in Kurla. A 63-year-old man, identified as Yunus Kundawala, died after a tree collapsed onto a shop near the Hindi BMC School at Gomes Gown Building in Kamani, Kurla West.The incident was reported at around 12.40 pm. Kundawala was taken to Fauzia Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.Congress attacks BJP over civic infrastructureThe heavy rain also reignited the political battle over Mumbai’s civic infrastructure.Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad accused the BJP of being responsible for the city’s deteriorating infrastructure, arguing that the party could not evade responsibility after effectively controlling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for nearly three decades.She said the BJP had governed the civic body for 25 years in alliance with the Shiv Sena and had continued to wield influence through the administrator appointed after civic elections were not held from 2022.”The BJP has looted Mumbai while filling its own coffers. It cannot shirk responsibility for the city’s decline,” she alleged.Gaikwad questioned the BMC’s annual expenditure of more than Rs 100 crore on drain desilting, saying even brief spells of rain continued to leave roads waterlogged, trees uprooted, residential societies flooded and traffic paralysed despite repeated assurances that monsoon preparedness was “100 per cent complete”.She also criticised the civic administration, alleging the mayor appeared “more occupied with making reels”, while claiming the municipal commissioner had failed to deliver meaningful work.IMD keeps red alert in placeMumbai remained under a red alert as monsoon activity intensified across several parts of the country.The India Meteorological Department warned of continued heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the city, while rain also affected parts of Delhi and prompted weather alerts in Kerala, Odisha and Jharkhand.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s .4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political RowWhy the NDA Still Faces an Uphill Battle to Pass the Women’s Reservation Bill Despite Higher Numbers8 Officials Suspended After Books Allegedly Glorifying Separatists : J&K School Book RowArmy, J&K Police And CRPF Surround Two LeT Terrorists In Shopian As Gunfight ContinuesLove Across The LoC: PoK Youth Sent Back Home After Court Accepts He Crossed Border To Meet Beloved123Photostories5 things to expect at India’s widest waterfall during the monsoonHigh cholesterol often has no symptoms, says AHA: These 10 guidelines could help protect your heartPersonality test: Only the first thing you notice in this illusion reveals your true hidden strengthAamir Khan weds Gauri Spratt: Before saying ‘I Do,’ Aamir Khan dropped these 5 surprisingly honest quotes on loveFrom Krushna Abhishek’s California house to Vicky Jain’s Rs 50 crore home: Celebrities who own several luxurious properties5 best hair oils for frizzy locks during monsoon that actually tame humidityPersonality test: The first detail that you spot in this optical illusion reveals a surprising truth about youCharlie Chaplin and more: 7 Old Hollywood icons married to Partners 30 years younger7 Surprising facts about ring-necked parrots you probably didn’t knowBride-to-be Anshula Kapoor’s stunning blue Patola lehenga for mehendi celebrations is a look rooted in Indian craftsmanship123Hot PicksNHL Trade RumorHarrison ButkerTaylor and Travis Wedding PhotosIndia Passport Ranking SlipsBSUSC applicationsMumbai rainDelhi MurderBrittany MahomesTrumpTop TrendingNHL TradeDelhi rainBrittany MahomesFIFA World Cup 2026Mamata BanerjeeBengaluru Capgemini DaycareKetan AgarwalFrance FIFA World CupNFL Trade RumorVozinha

All 13 diverted flights were later able to return and land safely in Mumba. NEW DELHI: Heavy rain and strong winds wreaked havoc across Mumbai on Sunday, disrupting air travel, claiming a life and triggering fresh political sparring over the city’s monsoon preparedness. Flight operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were severely affected after runway operations were suspended for about an hour, while the India Meteorological Department retained a red alert, warning of more intense rainfall.Flight operations hit Heavy rain and gusty winds forced Mumbai International Airport to suspend runway operations between 10.17 am and 11.17 am, disrupting both arrivals and departures.The weather forced the cancellation of four IndiGo flights and the diversion of 13 incoming aircraft operated by different airlines. All the diverted flights later returned to Mumbai and landed safely after conditions improved, according to sources.The airport operator said the suspension was necessary to ensure operational safety.”At approximately 10.17 am, adverse weather conditions, including strong gusty winds of up to 42 knots and reduced visibility due to heavy rain, impacted runway operations.”It added that runway operations were “temporarily suspended” to ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft and ground personnel before normal services resumed about an hour later.Delays mount across airportThe disruption left passengers stranded as delays spread across the airport. According to Flightradar24, around 90% of departing flights were delayed by an average of 65 to 75 minutes, while between 45% and 62% of arriving flights were running late, depending on the time of the data update. The airport operator did not disclose the total number of delayed or cancelled flights.Air Traffic Control sources said Mumbai airport handles between 980 and 1,000 flights every day, averaging around 48 aircraft movements every hour, comprising 24 arrivals and 24 departures.IndiGo cancels four servicesAccording to sources, the cancelled IndiGo flights were 6E 395 from Delhi to Mumbai, 6E 5273 from Mumbai to Indore, 6E 552 from Indore to Mumbai and 6E 6613 from Mumbai to Delhi.The airline said it was monitoring the evolving weather situation.”Bad weather over Delhi and Mumbai has impacted flight schedule. We are closely monitoring the weather….we request you that you stay updated on your flight status,”IndiGo, however, did not specifically mention the four cancelled services in its statement.Heavy rain turns fatalThe relentless rainfall also claimed a life in Kurla. A 63-year-old man, identified as Yunus Kundawala, died after a tree collapsed onto a shop near the Hindi BMC School at Gomes Gown Building in Kamani, Kurla West.The incident was reported at around 12.40 pm. Kundawala was taken to Fauzia Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.Congress attacks BJP over civic infrastructureThe heavy rain also reignited the political battle over Mumbai’s civic infrastructure.Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad accused the BJP of being responsible for the city’s deteriorating infrastructure, arguing that the party could not evade responsibility after effectively controlling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for nearly three decades.She said the BJP had governed the civic body for 25 years in alliance with the Shiv Sena and had continued to wield influence through the administrator appointed after civic elections were not held from 2022.”The BJP has looted Mumbai while filling its own coffers. It cannot shirk responsibility for the city’s decline,” she alleged.Gaikwad questioned the BMC’s annual expenditure of more than Rs 100 crore on drain desilting, saying even brief spells of rain continued to leave roads waterlogged, trees uprooted, residential societies flooded and traffic paralysed despite repeated assurances that monsoon preparedness was “100 per cent complete”.She also criticised the civic administration, alleging the mayor appeared “more occupied with making reels”, while claiming the municipal commissioner had failed to deliver meaningful work.IMD keeps red alert in placeMumbai remained under a red alert as monsoon activity intensified across several parts of the country.The India Meteorological Department warned of continued heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the city, while rain also affected parts of Delhi and prompted weather alerts in Kerala, Odisha and Jharkhand.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s $1.4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political RowWhy the NDA Still Faces an Uphill Battle to Pass the Women’s Reservation Bill Despite Higher Numbers8 Officials Suspended After Books Allegedly Glorifying Separatists : J&K School Book RowArmy, J&K Police And CRPF Surround Two LeT Terrorists In Shopian As Gunfight ContinuesLove Across The LoC: PoK Youth Sent Back Home After Court Accepts He Crossed Border To Meet Beloved123Photostories5 things to expect at India’s widest waterfall during the monsoonHigh cholesterol often has no symptoms, says AHA: These 10 guidelines could help protect your heartPersonality test: Only the first thing you notice in this illusion reveals your true hidden strengthAamir Khan weds Gauri Spratt: Before saying ‘I Do,’ Aamir Khan dropped these 5 surprisingly honest quotes on loveFrom Krushna Abhishek’s California house to Vicky Jain’s Rs 50 crore home: Celebrities who own several luxurious properties5 best hair oils for frizzy locks during monsoon that actually tame humidityPersonality test: The first detail that you spot in this optical illusion reveals a surprising truth about youCharlie Chaplin and more: 7 Old Hollywood icons married to Partners 30 years younger7 Surprising facts about ring-necked parrots you probably didn’t knowBride-to-be Anshula Kapoor’s stunning blue Patola lehenga for mehendi celebrations is a look rooted in Indian craftsmanship123Hot PicksNHL Trade RumorHarrison ButkerTaylor and Travis Wedding PhotosIndia Passport Ranking SlipsBSUSC applicationsMumbai rainDelhi MurderBrittany MahomesTrumpTop TrendingNHL TradeDelhi rainBrittany MahomesFIFA World Cup 2026Mamata BanerjeeBengaluru Capgemini DaycareKetan AgarwalFrance FIFA World CupNFL Trade RumorVozinha

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

All 13 diverted flights were later able to return and land safely in Mumba. NEW DELHI: Heavy rain and strong winds wreaked havoc across Mumbai on Sunday, disrupting air travel, claiming a life and triggering fresh political sparring over the city’s monsoon preparedness. Flight operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were severely affected after…

Read More
Kerala to end floor admissions in govt medical colleges, initiative begins in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode

Kerala to end floor admissions in govt medical colleges, initiative begins in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

The Kerala government has begun work to end a practice that has long drawn criticism of its public healthcare system: Patients being admitted on hospital floors because of overcrowding.The initiative will first be rolled out at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, and the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on…

Read More
Aamir Khan sees off Raj Thackeray after wedding with Gauri Spratt; inside pictures capture newlyweds’ special day

Aamir Khan sees off Raj Thackeray after wedding with Gauri Spratt; inside pictures capture newlyweds’ special day

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Aamir Khan sees off Raj Thackeray after wedding with Gauri Spratt; inside pictures capture newlyweds’ special day Aamir Khan has embarked on a new chapter in his personal life after marrying longtime partner Gauri Spratt in an intimate ceremony held on July 5 at his Bandra residence. While the newlyweds are yet to greet the…

Read More
Quote of the Day by Seneca, “If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a…..”

Quote of the Day by Seneca, “If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a…..”

Vamsikrishna06 mins mins

Quote of the Day by Seneca There are some thinkers whose wisdom has defied the onslaughts of time. Seneca was one of them. More than 2,000 years after his death, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, commonly known as Seneca, remains one of history’s most influential philosophers. His writings continue to inspire leaders, entrepreneurs, psychologists, and ordinary readers…

Read More
PoK erupts as police open fire on protesters amid massive anti-Pakistan rallies – key points

PoK erupts as police open fire on protesters amid massive anti-Pakistan rallies – key points

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

According to the JAAC, nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and elderly residents, gathered at the Sardar Ghulam Hussain Khan Sports Stadium Mass protests swept across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) on Sunday after the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) called for demonstrations against what it described as a widening crackdown by Pakistani…

Read More
India’s major reservoirs are holding just 26 per cent of their live capacity There’s a particular kind of math millions of Indians have learned this summer: how many buckets can you fill before the tap pressure drops, or which day of the week the water actually comes. It’s no longer an emergency routine. It’s just routine.Behind it is a number that should worry more people than it does. India’s major reservoirs are holding just 26 per cent of their live capacity, according to the Central Water Commission’s weekly bulletin dated July 2 says that the water level in the country’s 166 major reservoirs works out to just over 47.7 billion cubic metres, against a total live capacity of 183.5 billion cubic metres. On paper, that’s only 1.4 per cent below the 10-year average for this time of year. But it’s a far steeper drop from where things stood twelve months ago, this year’s storage is barely 61 per cent of last year’s level. India’s reservoirs are running lowThirteen states are currently running below their own 10-year norms, and the shortfalls aren’t evenly spread. West Bengal’s reservoirs are about 62 per cent short of where they should be. Mizoram’s are down 54 per cent. Karnataka is short by 46 per cent, alongside fellow southern states Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, all sitting 16 to 46 per cent below normal. These aren’t marginal dips; they’re the kind of numbers that force state governments to start rationing before summer even peaks.The monsoon was supposed to fix this. In some ways it has arrived as heavy rain has already triggered flooding in parts of the country, but the geography of that rainfall has been uneven. Many of the catchment areas that feed the worst-hit reservoirs simply haven’t seen enough of it, which is why storage levels remain below normal even as the season gets underway elsewhere.The consequences are already visible on the ground. By July 2, roughly 41 per cent of the country was experiencing some level of drought, according to the India Drought Monitor. The Union Agriculture Ministry has contingency plans ready for 12 states it considers severely affected.This is the backdrop against which India’s cities are now trying to answer a far older question: where does the water actually come from?Delhi runs on a schedule, not a tapDelhi’s water problem isn’t really about scarcity of sources, it’s about a supply that hasn’t kept pace with a city that keeps growing. So how does the national capital get its water?In parts of Delhi, running water isn’t a given, it’s rather a schedule. Residents in several colonies still wait for a tanker to arrive rather than turning on a tap, and in the unauthorised settlements that ring the city, piped supply has only recently begun to reach some streets at all. Even where pipes exist, pressure and timing vary enough that filling a storage tank remains a daily task rather than a formality. Image: ANIThe agency responsible for making up that gap is the Delhi Jal Board, which handles the sourcing, treatment and distribution of the capital’s drinking water, including bulk supply to the NDMC and the Cantonment Board. Delhi draws on four sources for raw water, the Ganga and Yamuna river basins, the Indus basin via the Bhakra Beas Management Board, and groundwater pumped through Ranney wells and tubewells. Together, these currently produce about 900 million gallons a day, close to the system’s maximum capacity, reaching roughly 93 per cent of the city through the existing network.That figure sounds high until it’s set against Delhi’s population, which was projected to reach nearly 25 million by 2021 and could approach 32 million by 2030, growth that is steadily eroding how much water is available per person, even as total supply stays roughly flat. Delhi’s raw water allocation is also fixed by interstate agreement, most notably the 1994 Yamuna Water Sharing pact with Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, which caps how much river water the city can draw regardless of demand. Three upstream dams, at Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar-Vyasi, were proposed decades ago to store monsoon flows for exactly this kind of shortfall, but construction on two of them hasn’t started.So while a court-ordered canal upgrade at Munak has helped recover water once lost to seepage, and new treatment plants have come up at Bawana, Okhla and Dwarka, the city is still, in effect, running close to its ceiling, expanding supply to new colonies largely by redistributing what already exists, rather than adding meaningfully more.Mumbai’s water math: Sourced far, lost closeMumbai’s water problem isn’t about distance from its sources, the city has been chasing those for over 150 years. It’s about what happens between the source and the tap. So how does India’s financial capital get its water?Mumbai currently consumes around 4,000 million litres a day, according to the BMC, drawn from seven lakes strung across 650 km of transmission lines and 6,000 km of service mains within the city. Even at that scale, supply falls short by nearly 565 MLD. But the more telling number is loss, not shortage: non-revenue water, water that’s pumped and treated but never billed, has climbed past 30 per cent, up from 20 per cent in 2009. A lot of treated water also disappears each day to leaks and illegal connections alone, a bigger drain than the actual demand-supply gap. .The city’s relationship with distant water sources goes back to 1860, when the Vihar scheme on the Mithi river, then 20 km outside the city, began supplying about 32 MLD to a population of 0.7 million. Shortages by 1885 pushed Mumbai further upstream to Tulsi Lake, then Powai. Tansa followed in 1948, and eventually the city reached 175 km out to the Vaitarna river. Each expansion bought time rather than solving the underlying problem, and the pattern hasn’t changed: the BMC’s own Environment Status Report for 2024-25 projects the demand-supply gap will widen to 6,424 MLD by 2041, with desalination and Advanced Tertiary Treatment plants now being planned to close it.In the meantime, the gap is filled informally. Tankers draw from borewells across the city. Roughly 40 per cent of Mumbai’s population lives in slums with no piped connection at all, relying entirely on groundwater, and increasingly, so do gated colonies, construction sites and commercial hubs. Rapid urbanisation, expanding at nearly 4 per cent a year, has paved over the catchments and wetlands that once recharged that groundwater, leaving the city more exposed to flooding, seawater intrusion and summer shortages at once. Rooftop rainwater harvesting has been mandatory for larger buildings since 2002, extended to buildings over 300 sq m in 2007, but it remains a patch on a system still built around water brought in from far away.Bengaluru’s uphill battle for waterBengaluru’s water problem is one of geography working against growth as the city sits on a plateau with no major river running through it, entirely dependent on water pumped uphill from far away. So where does Bengaluru actually get its water?For much of its history, it didn’t need to look far. Until the late nineteenth century, the city ran on a network of lakes, tanks, open wells and traditional “Kalyani systems” — Dharmambudhi, Sampangi, Ulsoor and Sankey tanks among them. As Bengaluru grew, these local sources stopped being enough. The Arkavathi Water Supply Scheme, built in 1896 around the Hesaraghatta Reservoir, gave the city its first filtered piped water supply. The Thippagondanahalli Reservoir followed in 1933, adding capacity from the same Arkavathi river system. But the Arkavathi basin’s reliability didn’t hold, repeated monsoon failures and shrinking inflows meant that by the late 1980s, it could no longer keep pace with the city’s demand. Image: PTIThat shortfall pushed Bengaluru toward the Cauvery river, roughly 100 km away and nearly 300 metres lower in elevation than the city itself, water that now has to be pumped uphill in stages before it reaches any tap. The Cauvery scheme has been expanded in phases since to keep up with the city’s growth, and today supplies the bulk of Bengaluru’s piped water, with groundwater filling much of what’s left.That combination is precisely where the strain shows up. Bengaluru’s water demand keeps growing faster than either of its two main sources can comfortably absorb. Summers compress the problem further: groundwater tables drop sharply just as demand peaks, putting pressure on both the Cauvery pipeline and whatever local aquifers residents and builders are still drawing from. Erratic rainfall and climate variability add uncertainty to a system that already has little slack. And unlike Delhi’s fixed-allocation problem or Mumbai’s leakage problem, Bengaluru’s challenge is more structural, a fast-growing city trying to meet rising demand with sources that were never built for this scale of urbanisation, and a landscape that makes every litre of that water expensive to move.There’s also a structural gap in who’s connected to the formal system at all. “Another major challenge is that many areas, particularly on the city’s outskirts, still depend on private borewells and tanker water instead of obtaining formal BWSSB connections,” says Dr N Manjula, IAS, Chairperson of the Bengaluru Water Supply & Sewerage Board. “During periods of water scarcity, these sources become unreliable, resulting in sudden spikes in demand for the public water supply system.”The fix being discussed isn’t a single new source, but a different relationship with the ones the city already has. “Our vision is to transform Bengaluru from a city that depends primarily on freshwater into a globally recognised, water-secure city, where Cauvery water, treated wastewater, groundwater, rainwater harvesting, smart technologies, and citizen participation work together as one integrated urban water management system,” says Dr N Manjula. “This is the only sustainable path to securing Bengaluru’s water future for the next generation.”From Palta to the tap: Kolkata’s long supply chainKolkata’s water problem isn’t a shortage of source — the Hooghly runs right through the city. It’s a treatment system old enough to have outlived several of its own upgrades. So how does Kolkata get its water?The city has drawn its drinking water from the Hooghly since the 1860s, treated at what’s now called the Indira Gandhi Water Treatment Plant, better known by its original name, Palta Water Works. Spread across 480 acres, Palta was built between 1864 and 1870 as Kolkata’s first water intake point, starting out with a modest capacity of 6 million gallons a day. The filtration method hasn’t changed much in principle since: water is settled in tanks, then passed through slow sand filters, a process that was expanded in stages, 24 more filter beds between 1888 and 1893, another set in 1905, and a further round between 1920 and 1936. Image: PTIWhat’s notable is how well the old system has held up. Slow sand filtration doesn’t need daily maintenance, a single bed can run for 100 to 120 days before it needs cleaning, because a biological layer forms on top of the sand and does most of the work, filtering out turbidity, colour and microorganisms on its own. Rapid gravity filters were added later, in 1952 and again in 1968, to speed up parts of the process, but the older beds are still in use today.By the early 2000s, Kolkata was running short by close to 50 million gallons a day, which pushed KMC into a fresh round of expansion at Palta and Garden Reach. That expansion has continued well past the deadlines originally set for it. The Indira Gandhi Water Treatment Plant at Barrackpore now has a generation capacity of 1,180 MLD, alongside smaller plants at Watgunge, Jorabagan and Jai Hind, plus 839.4 MLD from Garden Reach and around 110 MLD drawn from deep tube wells.The bigger problem isn’t generation capacity, it’s what happens after the water leaves the plant. KMC currently supplies an average of eight hours of water a day, reaching about 82.7 per cent of households through pipes, with another 10 per cent relying on the city’s roughly 9,000 tubewells. And what does reach the city isn’t shared evenly: an Asian Development Bank study found supply ranging from as little as 40 litres per person a day in some areas to 310 litres in others, a gap wide enough that averages don’t mean much on the ground. Meanwhile, Kolkata’s groundwater is increasingly over-pumped and contaminated, and the wetlands that once absorbed excess water and recharged aquifers are steadily being built over. The Hooghly still flows through the city; what’s disappearing is everything around it that used to make that water go further.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s .4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political RowWhy the NDA Still Faces an Uphill Battle to Pass the Women’s Reservation Bill Despite Higher Numbers8 Officials Suspended After Books Allegedly Glorifying Separatists : J&K School Book RowArmy, J&K Police And CRPF Surround Two LeT Terrorists In Shopian As Gunfight ContinuesLove Across The LoC: PoK Youth Sent Back Home After Court Accepts He Crossed Border To Meet Beloved123PhotostoriesPersonality test: Only the first thing you notice in this illusion reveals your true hidden strengthAamir Khan weds Gauri Spratt: Before saying ‘I Do,’ Aamir Khan dropped these 5 surprisingly honest quotes on loveFrom Krushna Abhishek’s California house to Vicky Jain’s Rs 50 crore home: Celebrities who own several luxurious properties5 best hair oils for frizzy locks during monsoon that actually tame humidityPersonality test: The first detail that you spot in this optical illusion reveals a surprising truth about youCharlie Chaplin and more: 7 Old Hollywood icons married to Partners 30 years younger7 Surprising facts about ring-necked parrots you probably didn’t knowBride-to-be Anshula Kapoor’s stunning blue Patola lehenga for mehendi celebrations is a look rooted in Indian craftsmanshipWhy old Indian sweets lasted longer without preservativesWhy does Mawlynnong stop tourists on Sundays? And 4 others things travellers didn’t know about Asia’s cleanest village123Hot PicksNHL Trade RumorHarrison ButkerTaylor and Travis Wedding PhotosIndia Passport Ranking SlipsBSUSC applicationsMumbai rainDelhi MurderBrittany MahomesTrumpTop TrendingNHL TradeDelhi rainBrittany MahomesFIFA World Cup 2026Mamata BanerjeeBengaluru Capgemini DaycareKetan AgarwalFrance FIFA World CupNFL Trade RumorVozinha

India’s major reservoirs are holding just 26 per cent of their live capacity There’s a particular kind of math millions of Indians have learned this summer: how many buckets can you fill before the tap pressure drops, or which day of the week the water actually comes. It’s no longer an emergency routine. It’s just routine.Behind it is a number that should worry more people than it does. India’s major reservoirs are holding just 26 per cent of their live capacity, according to the Central Water Commission’s weekly bulletin dated July 2 says that the water level in the country’s 166 major reservoirs works out to just over 47.7 billion cubic metres, against a total live capacity of 183.5 billion cubic metres. On paper, that’s only 1.4 per cent below the 10-year average for this time of year. But it’s a far steeper drop from where things stood twelve months ago, this year’s storage is barely 61 per cent of last year’s level. India’s reservoirs are running lowThirteen states are currently running below their own 10-year norms, and the shortfalls aren’t evenly spread. West Bengal’s reservoirs are about 62 per cent short of where they should be. Mizoram’s are down 54 per cent. Karnataka is short by 46 per cent, alongside fellow southern states Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, all sitting 16 to 46 per cent below normal. These aren’t marginal dips; they’re the kind of numbers that force state governments to start rationing before summer even peaks.The monsoon was supposed to fix this. In some ways it has arrived as heavy rain has already triggered flooding in parts of the country, but the geography of that rainfall has been uneven. Many of the catchment areas that feed the worst-hit reservoirs simply haven’t seen enough of it, which is why storage levels remain below normal even as the season gets underway elsewhere.The consequences are already visible on the ground. By July 2, roughly 41 per cent of the country was experiencing some level of drought, according to the India Drought Monitor. The Union Agriculture Ministry has contingency plans ready for 12 states it considers severely affected.This is the backdrop against which India’s cities are now trying to answer a far older question: where does the water actually come from?Delhi runs on a schedule, not a tapDelhi’s water problem isn’t really about scarcity of sources, it’s about a supply that hasn’t kept pace with a city that keeps growing. So how does the national capital get its water?In parts of Delhi, running water isn’t a given, it’s rather a schedule. Residents in several colonies still wait for a tanker to arrive rather than turning on a tap, and in the unauthorised settlements that ring the city, piped supply has only recently begun to reach some streets at all. Even where pipes exist, pressure and timing vary enough that filling a storage tank remains a daily task rather than a formality. Image: ANIThe agency responsible for making up that gap is the Delhi Jal Board, which handles the sourcing, treatment and distribution of the capital’s drinking water, including bulk supply to the NDMC and the Cantonment Board. Delhi draws on four sources for raw water, the Ganga and Yamuna river basins, the Indus basin via the Bhakra Beas Management Board, and groundwater pumped through Ranney wells and tubewells. Together, these currently produce about 900 million gallons a day, close to the system’s maximum capacity, reaching roughly 93 per cent of the city through the existing network.That figure sounds high until it’s set against Delhi’s population, which was projected to reach nearly 25 million by 2021 and could approach 32 million by 2030, growth that is steadily eroding how much water is available per person, even as total supply stays roughly flat. Delhi’s raw water allocation is also fixed by interstate agreement, most notably the 1994 Yamuna Water Sharing pact with Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, which caps how much river water the city can draw regardless of demand. Three upstream dams, at Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar-Vyasi, were proposed decades ago to store monsoon flows for exactly this kind of shortfall, but construction on two of them hasn’t started.So while a court-ordered canal upgrade at Munak has helped recover water once lost to seepage, and new treatment plants have come up at Bawana, Okhla and Dwarka, the city is still, in effect, running close to its ceiling, expanding supply to new colonies largely by redistributing what already exists, rather than adding meaningfully more.Mumbai’s water math: Sourced far, lost closeMumbai’s water problem isn’t about distance from its sources, the city has been chasing those for over 150 years. It’s about what happens between the source and the tap. So how does India’s financial capital get its water?Mumbai currently consumes around 4,000 million litres a day, according to the BMC, drawn from seven lakes strung across 650 km of transmission lines and 6,000 km of service mains within the city. Even at that scale, supply falls short by nearly 565 MLD. But the more telling number is loss, not shortage: non-revenue water, water that’s pumped and treated but never billed, has climbed past 30 per cent, up from 20 per cent in 2009. A lot of treated water also disappears each day to leaks and illegal connections alone, a bigger drain than the actual demand-supply gap. .The city’s relationship with distant water sources goes back to 1860, when the Vihar scheme on the Mithi river, then 20 km outside the city, began supplying about 32 MLD to a population of 0.7 million. Shortages by 1885 pushed Mumbai further upstream to Tulsi Lake, then Powai. Tansa followed in 1948, and eventually the city reached 175 km out to the Vaitarna river. Each expansion bought time rather than solving the underlying problem, and the pattern hasn’t changed: the BMC’s own Environment Status Report for 2024-25 projects the demand-supply gap will widen to 6,424 MLD by 2041, with desalination and Advanced Tertiary Treatment plants now being planned to close it.In the meantime, the gap is filled informally. Tankers draw from borewells across the city. Roughly 40 per cent of Mumbai’s population lives in slums with no piped connection at all, relying entirely on groundwater, and increasingly, so do gated colonies, construction sites and commercial hubs. Rapid urbanisation, expanding at nearly 4 per cent a year, has paved over the catchments and wetlands that once recharged that groundwater, leaving the city more exposed to flooding, seawater intrusion and summer shortages at once. Rooftop rainwater harvesting has been mandatory for larger buildings since 2002, extended to buildings over 300 sq m in 2007, but it remains a patch on a system still built around water brought in from far away.Bengaluru’s uphill battle for waterBengaluru’s water problem is one of geography working against growth as the city sits on a plateau with no major river running through it, entirely dependent on water pumped uphill from far away. So where does Bengaluru actually get its water?For much of its history, it didn’t need to look far. Until the late nineteenth century, the city ran on a network of lakes, tanks, open wells and traditional “Kalyani systems” — Dharmambudhi, Sampangi, Ulsoor and Sankey tanks among them. As Bengaluru grew, these local sources stopped being enough. The Arkavathi Water Supply Scheme, built in 1896 around the Hesaraghatta Reservoir, gave the city its first filtered piped water supply. The Thippagondanahalli Reservoir followed in 1933, adding capacity from the same Arkavathi river system. But the Arkavathi basin’s reliability didn’t hold, repeated monsoon failures and shrinking inflows meant that by the late 1980s, it could no longer keep pace with the city’s demand. Image: PTIThat shortfall pushed Bengaluru toward the Cauvery river, roughly 100 km away and nearly 300 metres lower in elevation than the city itself, water that now has to be pumped uphill in stages before it reaches any tap. The Cauvery scheme has been expanded in phases since to keep up with the city’s growth, and today supplies the bulk of Bengaluru’s piped water, with groundwater filling much of what’s left.That combination is precisely where the strain shows up. Bengaluru’s water demand keeps growing faster than either of its two main sources can comfortably absorb. Summers compress the problem further: groundwater tables drop sharply just as demand peaks, putting pressure on both the Cauvery pipeline and whatever local aquifers residents and builders are still drawing from. Erratic rainfall and climate variability add uncertainty to a system that already has little slack. And unlike Delhi’s fixed-allocation problem or Mumbai’s leakage problem, Bengaluru’s challenge is more structural, a fast-growing city trying to meet rising demand with sources that were never built for this scale of urbanisation, and a landscape that makes every litre of that water expensive to move.There’s also a structural gap in who’s connected to the formal system at all. “Another major challenge is that many areas, particularly on the city’s outskirts, still depend on private borewells and tanker water instead of obtaining formal BWSSB connections,” says Dr N Manjula, IAS, Chairperson of the Bengaluru Water Supply & Sewerage Board. “During periods of water scarcity, these sources become unreliable, resulting in sudden spikes in demand for the public water supply system.”The fix being discussed isn’t a single new source, but a different relationship with the ones the city already has. “Our vision is to transform Bengaluru from a city that depends primarily on freshwater into a globally recognised, water-secure city, where Cauvery water, treated wastewater, groundwater, rainwater harvesting, smart technologies, and citizen participation work together as one integrated urban water management system,” says Dr N Manjula. “This is the only sustainable path to securing Bengaluru’s water future for the next generation.”From Palta to the tap: Kolkata’s long supply chainKolkata’s water problem isn’t a shortage of source — the Hooghly runs right through the city. It’s a treatment system old enough to have outlived several of its own upgrades. So how does Kolkata get its water?The city has drawn its drinking water from the Hooghly since the 1860s, treated at what’s now called the Indira Gandhi Water Treatment Plant, better known by its original name, Palta Water Works. Spread across 480 acres, Palta was built between 1864 and 1870 as Kolkata’s first water intake point, starting out with a modest capacity of 6 million gallons a day. The filtration method hasn’t changed much in principle since: water is settled in tanks, then passed through slow sand filters, a process that was expanded in stages, 24 more filter beds between 1888 and 1893, another set in 1905, and a further round between 1920 and 1936. Image: PTIWhat’s notable is how well the old system has held up. Slow sand filtration doesn’t need daily maintenance, a single bed can run for 100 to 120 days before it needs cleaning, because a biological layer forms on top of the sand and does most of the work, filtering out turbidity, colour and microorganisms on its own. Rapid gravity filters were added later, in 1952 and again in 1968, to speed up parts of the process, but the older beds are still in use today.By the early 2000s, Kolkata was running short by close to 50 million gallons a day, which pushed KMC into a fresh round of expansion at Palta and Garden Reach. That expansion has continued well past the deadlines originally set for it. The Indira Gandhi Water Treatment Plant at Barrackpore now has a generation capacity of 1,180 MLD, alongside smaller plants at Watgunge, Jorabagan and Jai Hind, plus 839.4 MLD from Garden Reach and around 110 MLD drawn from deep tube wells.The bigger problem isn’t generation capacity, it’s what happens after the water leaves the plant. KMC currently supplies an average of eight hours of water a day, reaching about 82.7 per cent of households through pipes, with another 10 per cent relying on the city’s roughly 9,000 tubewells. And what does reach the city isn’t shared evenly: an Asian Development Bank study found supply ranging from as little as 40 litres per person a day in some areas to 310 litres in others, a gap wide enough that averages don’t mean much on the ground. Meanwhile, Kolkata’s groundwater is increasingly over-pumped and contaminated, and the wetlands that once absorbed excess water and recharged aquifers are steadily being built over. The Hooghly still flows through the city; what’s disappearing is everything around it that used to make that water go further.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s $1.4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political RowWhy the NDA Still Faces an Uphill Battle to Pass the Women’s Reservation Bill Despite Higher Numbers8 Officials Suspended After Books Allegedly Glorifying Separatists : J&K School Book RowArmy, J&K Police And CRPF Surround Two LeT Terrorists In Shopian As Gunfight ContinuesLove Across The LoC: PoK Youth Sent Back Home After Court Accepts He Crossed Border To Meet Beloved123PhotostoriesPersonality test: Only the first thing you notice in this illusion reveals your true hidden strengthAamir Khan weds Gauri Spratt: Before saying ‘I Do,’ Aamir Khan dropped these 5 surprisingly honest quotes on loveFrom Krushna Abhishek’s California house to Vicky Jain’s Rs 50 crore home: Celebrities who own several luxurious properties5 best hair oils for frizzy locks during monsoon that actually tame humidityPersonality test: The first detail that you spot in this optical illusion reveals a surprising truth about youCharlie Chaplin and more: 7 Old Hollywood icons married to Partners 30 years younger7 Surprising facts about ring-necked parrots you probably didn’t knowBride-to-be Anshula Kapoor’s stunning blue Patola lehenga for mehendi celebrations is a look rooted in Indian craftsmanshipWhy old Indian sweets lasted longer without preservativesWhy does Mawlynnong stop tourists on Sundays? And 4 others things travellers didn’t know about Asia’s cleanest village123Hot PicksNHL Trade RumorHarrison ButkerTaylor and Travis Wedding PhotosIndia Passport Ranking SlipsBSUSC applicationsMumbai rainDelhi MurderBrittany MahomesTrumpTop TrendingNHL TradeDelhi rainBrittany MahomesFIFA World Cup 2026Mamata BanerjeeBengaluru Capgemini DaycareKetan AgarwalFrance FIFA World CupNFL Trade RumorVozinha

Vamsikrishna011 mins mins

India’s major reservoirs are holding just 26 per cent of their live capacity There’s a particular kind of math millions of Indians have learned this summer: how many buckets can you fill before the tap pressure drops, or which day of the week the water actually comes. It’s no longer an emergency routine. It’s just…

Read More
58 engineering colleges shut across India in 2025-26, over 950 courses discontinued: AICTE

58 engineering colleges shut across India in 2025-26, over 950 courses discontinued: AICTE

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

58 engineering colleges shut across India in 2025-26, over 950 courses discontinued: AICTE The number of engineering colleges shutting down in India continues to grow, with 58 engineering and technical institutions closing during the 2025-26 academic year. The closures span several states, led by Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and reflect a pattern that the regulator…

Read More
Aamir Khan marries Gauri Spratt at 61: Here’s everything to know about their 13-year age gap and love story

Aamir Khan marries Gauri Spratt at 61: Here’s everything to know about their 13-year age gap and love story

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Aamir Khan marries Gauri Spratt at 61: Here’s everything to know about their 13-year age gap and love story Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has officially entered a new phase in his personal life. On Sunday, the actor married his longtime partner Gauri Spratt in an intimate ceremony held at his Bandra residence in Mumbai. Instead…

Read More
Bigger than the Pentagon? Egypt unveils 22,000-acre military command hub

Bigger than the Pentagon? Egypt unveils 22,000-acre military command hub

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

NEW DELHI: Egypt has officially inaugurated its new strategic command headquarters, The Octagon, in the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo, marking a major milestone in the country’s efforts to modernise its defence infrastructure and centralise military command.President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi formally inaugurated the complex on July 4. Egyptian authorities describe it as the country’s…

Read More
New York based artist Jeena Raghavan presents new solo exhibition in Bangalore | India News

New York based artist Jeena Raghavan presents new solo exhibition in Bangalore | India News

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

New York based artist Jeena Raghavan presents new solo exhibition in Bangalore New York based artist Jeena Raghavan presented her latest solo exhibition in Bangalore this May, unveiling a new body of paintings created between New York and India. Hosted at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, the exhibition brought together collectors, entrepreneurs, artists, cultural leaders, government…

Read More
Anil Ravipudi unveils Nandamuri Kalyan Ram’s first look from Venkatesh Daggubati starrer ‘VenkyAnil5’ on his birthday

Anil Ravipudi unveils Nandamuri Kalyan Ram’s first look from Venkatesh Daggubati starrer ‘VenkyAnil5’ on his birthday

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

Telugu actor Nandamuri Kalyan Ram is celebrating his day as it marks his 48th birthday today. Director Anil Ravipudi recently took to his social media to share wishes to his first hero and expressed his gratitude working with him. He also unveiled his first look from their upcoming project. Anil Ravipudi’s birthday wishes On X…

Read More
Psychology says people who like their eggs boiled, fried, poached, scrambled or as an omelette show distinct personality traits based on their preferences

Psychology says people who like their eggs boiled, fried, poached, scrambled or as an omelette show distinct personality traits based on their preferences

Vamsikrishna07 mins mins

Which Egg Personality Are You? Canva You may start your day with a soothing boiled egg, a crunchy fried egg, soft scrambled eggs or a well-folded omelette, but your breakfast choice may say more about you than you think. No psychologist would say that the way you like your eggs cooked defines your personality, but…

Read More
Hra Rules: Renting a house? From eligibility to tax benefits, HRA rules every salaried individual should know

Hra Rules: Renting a house? From eligibility to tax benefits, HRA rules every salaried individual should know

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

HRA is allowed to salaried employees subject to conditions House Rent Allowance (HRA) is one of the most commonly claimed tax exemptions by salaried employees living in rented accommodation. Available only under the old income tax regime, the exemption helps reduce taxable income for those paying rent. With the income tax return (ITR) filing deadline…

Read More