BMC hopes city doesn’t flood this year

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is hoping that its pre-monsoon preparations will help reduce the number of spots that flood this year.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is hoping that its pre-monsoon preparations will help reduce the number of spots that flood this year.

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The BMC has already identified 55 chronic flood-prone spots.

“We have done a lot of work to avoid a flood-like situation and also commissioned two pumping stations at Irla (Vile Parle) and Haji Ali,” Municipal Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya said on Friday. “Because of these pumping stations, areas such as JVPD scheme, Versova, Grant Road and Nana Chowk will get relief from water logging.”

“We had done work on a culvert near Milan Subway and created a way out for rainwater. This year, it will not get flooded,” a BMC official said on condition of anonymity. He added that the BMC will know whether its anti-flood measures have worked
only after monsoon.

The BMC has spent at least Rs 42 crore on cleaning nullahs (drains) and storm water drains. It also deployed 198 pumps at various flood-prone spots to discharge water into the sea. Control rooms have been set up in all 24 ward offices and local rescue teams created. An emergency cash provision of Rs 1 lakh has been made for each ward.

Kshatriya also inspected the drains on railway premises. “The railways have done a good job [of cleaning drains]. There are a few bottlenecks but those will be taken care of,” he said. The BMC paid the railways Rs 1.80 crore to clean the drains on its premises.