Metro construction leading to waterlogging in Aarey: Residents

The depot site, it has been previously pointed out, is riven by at least three perennial streams whose paths have likely been altered by the carshed’s development

Mumbai: The construction of the Metro-3 car shed in Aarey Colony Prajapur village has begun to cause waterlogging in the vicinity of the plot on the Marol-Maroshi Road that connects Aarey Colony with Andheri East, claimed environmentalists and residents of Aarey Colony. They added that it is a new phenomenon caused due to the heavy landfilling and reclamation work in the low-lying area.

Environmentalists have highlighted several times that the depot plot is functionally the only remaining floodplain of the Mithi River in Aarey Colony, a position which has been contested by the Mumbai Metropolitan Rail Corporation Ltd. (MMRCL). The interaction of the river with this open space is crucial for the survival of this ecosystem, and to prevent flooding in other parts of the city. (HT PHOTO)

The depot site, it has been previously pointed out, is riven by at least three perennial streams whose paths have likely been altered by the carshed’s development. These natural drains carry runoff from nearby, sloping hills into the Mithi River. On June 29 and 30, however, a substantial portion of the Marol-Maroshi Road was inundated for most of the day, causing traffic snarls and particularly inconveniencing motorcyclists and auto-rickshaw drivers.

“Both the depot plot and the road are very low-lying. The plot is levelled with earth and raised to the same height as the road. One of the three drains which enters the plot was overflowing yesterday even when there was no rain. So you can imagine the kind of flooding that will happen during a really bad downpour,” said Tabrez Syed, Aarey resident and an activist with the Save Aarey group.

Environmentalists have highlighted several times that the depot plot is functionally the only remaining floodplain of the Mithi River in Aarey Colony, a position which has been contested by the Mumbai Metropolitan Rail Corporation Ltd. (MMRCL). The interaction of the river with this open space is crucial for the survival of this ecosystem, and to prevent flooding in other parts of the city.

Amrita Bhattacharya, an environmentalist who works closely with Aarey’s adivasi residents, said, “The three drains on the depot plot have been turned into box drains that enter into the Mithi River, but as we know, you cannot hold a water body between walls. The drains seem to be throwing the water back onto the road. There are two landward sides of the depot plot in Aarey, and both are preceded either by hills or undulating terrain which brings the water straight to the Mithi’s catchment, which is being destroyed. Where else can the water go?”

A report in 2015, by a state government-appointed technical committee was the first to warn of this. Prepared by Dr Rakesh Kumar, former director of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, and professor Shyam Asolekar from IIT-B, the assessment warned of “massive flooding” in Andheri East’s Chakala locality and the Mumbai airport further downstream. The two experts pointed out that the proposed site of the Metro-3 car shed is right next to the Mithi River’s catchment area. “If the car shed is constructed, the water retention capacity of the plot will be lost,” they had noted at the time.