The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday imposed a 20 per cent cut in water supply to industrial, commercial and sports establishments, as reservoir levels dropped to 10.35 per cent due to the delayed monsoon.

The civic body also suspended water supply for ongoing construction projects and swimming pools, it said in a release.

The cuts, effective from Wednesday, were announced following a review meeting about the water stock in reservoirs supplying water to the financial capital of the country.

The restrictions are aimed at safeguarding potable water supplies and strict action will be taken against misuse or wastage of drinking water.

The civic body has already implemented a 10 percent water cut from May 15.

Mumbai requires around 4,664 million litres of water daily, while the current average supply is 4,100 million litres per day.

As of June 16, the combined water stock in the lakes supplying the metropolis stood at only 10.35 per cent of the total capacity, posing a challenge for maintaining water supply until substantial rainfall replenishes the reservoirs.

Following directives from the state Water Resources Department, the BMC has been implementing austerity measures for drinking water management.

Under the latest conservation measures, all water connections provided for ongoing construction projects will be temporarily disconnected, while no approvals will be granted for connections to new projects until further orders, the BMC release said.

Water supply to swimming pools will also be stopped.

Supply to aerated water and packaged drinking water bottling units will be restricted to meet only the basic drinking water requirements of workers, the release said.

Organisations operating public toilets have been directed to maximise the use of tanker, well or borewell water, while borewell and well water should be used for non-potable purposes such as vehicle washing, gardening and cleaning of roads and premises.

Major establishments, including Central Railway, Western Railway, RCF, HPCL, BPCL, the Navy, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and the Mumbai Port Authority, have been advised to reuse treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants for operational and secondary purposes, the release said.

The civic body also urged citizens and establishments to cooperate in conserving water and warned of legal action against those found misusing potable water supplied by the municipality.