No bitter end for Mithi river: 1.6K evacuated in time
Although the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation claimed that 90% of widening and desilting work of the river has been completed, environmentalists said encroachments on the river’s bank and its mouth had led to this situation.
The city’s oldest natural stormwater drain, the Mithi river, crossed its danger mark and flooded the nearby hutments during heavy rains on Monday night. More than 1,600 people living on the river banks were evacuated after water started entering their homes.
Although the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation claimed that 90% of widening and desilting work of the river has been completed, environmentalists said encroachments on the river’s bank and its mouth had led to this situation.
Around 12.30am on Tuesday, residents of Krantinagar and Sandesh Nagar in Kurla started vacating their house as water entered their houses.
Local councillor Sanjay Turde said the disaster management cell did not sound an alert till 3.30am. People started vacating homes after the only bridge connecting their area was almost submerged. Turde said, “Residents started evacuating from 12.30am and shifted to nearby BMC schools. When water level started receding in the morning, people returned to their houses.”
Officials from the disaster management cell said the Mithi river has flow level censors installed at 3.20 metres and the alarm goes off after it touches the mark. When the alert sounded at 3.30am on Tuesday, most residents had already left the house.
Amol Kamirkar, a resident of Sandesh Nagar, said, “Around 10.30pm on Monday, we realised that the water level might go up and so we started asking people to vacate houses. We soon got to the nearest private school, requested the principal to allow people in. As soon as the water level dipped, we returned to our houses. Till then, no BMC official was seen.”
Residents recalled that the entire area was submerged during the 2005 deluge. The BMC is in the process of rehabilitating families and 93 families have been given allotment letters for their new houses. Manish Walunj, assistant commissioner of L-ward (Kurla), said, “Before we could start evacuating, residents themselves sensed danger and started vacating their houses. Although the Navy and the NDRF were on a standby, we did not need assistance and safely evacuated the people.”
Turde said the hutments are not encroachments and are eligible for rehabilitation. Hundred families have already got allotment of houses.
Civic chief Praveen Pardeshi said they evacuated around 1,000 people.