Bhopal gears up for rising water demands amid leaks in system

Bhopal: As temperatures climb, Bhopal braces for a summer where water demand is expected to surge 3% to 5% this year, according to BMC estimates. The demand can be met, water supply has been disrupted in many areas owing to leakages, public infra projects and unscheduled outages.Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) projects peak consumption at about 470 million litres per day (MLD), up from the current average of 440 MLD. Meeting this demand will test the city's reliance on its two lifelines, the Narmada and Kolar pipelines, which together supply roughly 70% of daily needs, and the Upper Lake, which contributes the remaining 30%.Kolar treatment plant, with a capacity of 153 MLD, already runs close to its limit, processing raw inflows of around 162 MLD from the dam. Any disruption—whether pipeline maintenance or a heatwave spike—could leave little margin for error. Meanwhile, the Upper Lake, a Ramsar-listed wetland, faces mounting pressures from urbanisation and pollution, raising questions about its long-term resilience as a dependable source.Bhopal is already pressing against its water limits. The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) projects that by 2030, the city will need about 541 million litres per day (MLD) to sustain its population and growth. Today, in 2026, peak demand has touched 470 MLD, leaving a gap of 71 MLD that must be bridged within just four years.The clock is ticking: Bhopal has already consumed 86% of its 2030 projection, and the hunt for the missing 71 MLD has begun.