HT Monsoon Audit: Flooding in Mumbai’s western suburbs is just a shower away

The verdict is loud and clear. Residents of the western suburbs may have to brace for another spell of waterlogging this monsoon. Reason: the Mumbai civic body’s slapdash desilting and cleaning of three major stormwater drains at Bandra (East), Vile Parle (West) and Milan subway.

The findings are part of HT’s monsoon audit by a four-member panel on June 2. Three of these experts examined the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) desilting and cleaning of Rasraj nullah at Vile Parle, Gobar nullah at Milan subway and Chamdawadi nullah in Bandra.They invariably found the nullahs clogged, silt heaped on the banks and sewage released into them as well as floating garbage.

On an average, the three nullahs scored 5.5 out of 10.

Launching its three-part monsoon audit series on Thursday, HT had published the panel’s review on four nullahs in the . The average score for the seven nullahs and two stretches of the Mithi river is 6.3 out of 10 marks.

Shame old

The experts pointed out that the nullahs are as dirty as they were previous years.

Rasraj nullah was a mixed bag. Although a portion of the nullah was clean, floating garbage dumped by encroachers may prove inimical to anti-flooding measures, said the panel.

“Encroachers along Rasraj nullah are evidently dumping organic waste in it. To solve this, it needs to be cleaned at regular intervals,” said Vidya Vaidya, a member of the HT panel and Bandra-based citizen activist.

The experts also concluded that Bandra, Vile Parle and Milan subway are likely to witness waterlogging this monsoon, considering the condition of Chamdawadi and Gober nullahs. They rated Chamdawadi as one of the worst nullahs in the western suburbs.

Girish Patil, another member of the panel and former BMC engineer, said, “Parts of Chamdawadi nullah are still encroached and a major portion has excessive floating material and sewage. This will clog the drain and cause major flooding in Bandra and Khar.”

For Gobar nullah, the picture is not rosy either. The experts feared another cycle of waterlogging at Milan subway and its surrounding areas.

“Gobar nullah is partially cleaned and floating material is still visible. The nullah will flood,” predicted Patil.

Amid the unflattering review of its pre-monsoon work, the BMC has been maintaining that it had completed desilting and cleaning of all drains.