Week to nullah cleaning deadline, 45% desilting work still pending

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation faces a challenge to complete pre-monsoon works before May 25, with contractors yet to finish 45% of nullah cleaning.

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) faces an uphill task of completing pre-monsoon works before May 25, a deadline set by the municipal commissioner Rajesh Narvekar. With just a week to go to achieve the herculean task, the contractors are yet to complete 45% of the nullah cleaning work, which is a major component of the pre-monsoon works.

HT Image

There are 76 small and large natural nullahs in the city from Belapur to Digha, which includes those in the MIDC area. So far, 55% of their cleaning work of removing silt has been completed. The commissioner has set a May 25 deadline for the completion of the work.

Explaining why the nullah cleaning is crucial, Nitin Kandhari, a social activist said, “It is important that the nullahs be cleaned to increase their water holding capacity as the city has the hills on one side and the creek on the other. The water that flows from the mountains flows through the nullahs to end up in the creek. Any blockage in the nullah will lead to water stagnation and overflow of the water into the city area.”

He added, “Since a large area of Navi Mumbai is below sea level, during high tide, the creek water re-enters the nullahs and holding ponds while the stones and mud from the mountains end up in the nullah during monsoon. This results in the accumulation of silt in it. There are also instances of garbage being dumped in the nullah by residents despite the civic body covering the nullahs with barbed fences at several locations.”

Lamented Afsar Imam, a social worker, “There is just a week left for the deadline set by the municipal commissioner for the completion of pre-monsoon work. The contractors are yet to complete 45% of the work envisaged. How will they do it in just a week?”

He added, “There is a possibility that the quality of work will suffer if they hurry up now. The commissioner will have to of course extend the deadline and hope that the monsoon is delayed. The officials need to ensure that there is no more lethargy in the work.”

Municipal commissioner Rajesh Narvekar who inspected the ongoing work at the natural nullahs and closed gutters in the city, along with city engineer Sanjay Desai and deputy municipal commissioner (SWM) Dr Babasaheb Rajale, said, “I have instructed the solid waste management and engineering department to speed up the work to complete the nullah cleaning in time. I have also ordered that the silt removed from the nullah be picked up in a couple of days from the site when it dries so that it doesn’t end up back in the nullah.”

Stated the commissioner, “We are very serious about ensuring that the work is completed in time and there is no compromise. 43 contractors involved in closed nullah work have been penalised so far for negligence. The same will be the case with those cleaning the natural nullahs if there is any negligence in work. We will have a zero-tolerance policy for it.”

Informed Narvekar, “97% of the closed gutters work has been completed, with the remaining 5% delayed due to some technical issues. That will be taken care of soon. We are also installing water pumps at 14 low-lying locations like Turbhe police station, which have a history of water logging during heavy rains coupled with high tide.”

He concluded, “We are confident of completing all pre-monsoon work in time before the monsoon arrives so that the residents do not face any problems during the rains.”