BMC comes up with three-part plan to stop waterlogging at Hindmata, but will be executed in 2019

Mumbai: The very first spell of rain has debunked the BMC claim that there will be no waterlogging in low-lying areas this monsoon. This claim was busted by heavy rain on Saturday when the entire Hindmata area got submerged.

The corporation claims it now has a solution to prevent flooding at the Hindmata junction permanently. BMC has even come up with a three-part plan to construct storm water drains covering a length of 2.4 km around the low-lying area. The civic body claims that if the plan is executed in time, Hindmata will also be free of flooding from next monsoon in 2019. This year, though, people will continue to struggle with water-logging problems in the area.

The corporation plans to install augmented local storm water drains, which will divert water to the Britannia pumping station. Kishor Desai, Assistant Commissioner, F/North Ward, conducted a study, which concluded that the problem needs to be addressed underground. “The area needs to be encapsulated in underground stormwater drains, which will block water inflow before it reaches Hindmata, which is the lowest point.”

BMC has already started work on part one of this plan by augmenting 225 metres of an 800-metre storm water drain on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road in January this year. Part two of the plan aims at augmenting the underground storm water drain between Chiwda Galli in Lalbaug and Shravan Yashwant Chowk. Residents though, feel it is another attempt to fill the pockets of contractors and administration.  Harish Takle, a Hindmata resident and businessman, said, “This year too, they had said that there will be no flooding. But three days of pre-monsoon showers and the whole area is submerged in rainwater once again. These are false claims and just a pretext to extract more money.”