Mumbai: Chronic waterlogging spots flooded again

Officials from the Storm Water Drains department of the BMC blamed the incessant rainfall over the past three days for the waterlogging. (Express photo by Santosh Parab/File) 

WHILE the BMC has periodically promised over the last several years that the problem of chronic waterlogging at certain low-lying spots will be resolved, they continue to witness floods notwithstanding various multi-crore projects to stem the problem. On Tuesday too, most of these spots were under 8 to 10 inches of flood water – Hindmata, King’s Circle, Gandhi Market, parts of NM Joshi Marg, Bail Bazar in Kurla and Milan Subway in Santacruz.

Officials from the Storm Water Drains department of the BMC blamed the incessant rainfall over the past three days for the waterlogging. “Almost 60 per cent of the total expected rainfall from June to September has occurred in just 21 days so far. Also, there was a neap tide over the past couple of days, which means there was very little difference between high tide and low tide. That caused slower receding of rain water,” said an official.

However, officials concede that waterlogging at chronic flooding spots such as Hindmata and King’s Circle continue because the drain upgradation work is yet to be completed. “The Britannia pumping station is six kilometres away from Hindmata and it takes a lot of time for rainwater to reach the pumping station. So, we use de-watering pumps to pump out water faster,” added the official.

Residents, however, slammed the civic body for its tall claims and lack of adequate measures to deal with waterlogging. “The BMC had claimed that after the Britannia pumping station becomes functional, the issue of waterlogging at Hindmata would be resolved. It continues to flood. Why didn’t they take into account the six-kilometre distance from Hindmata to the pumping station at the time of planning?” asked Nikhil Desai, an activist from King’s Circle.

“Now, the civic body is claiming that the issue of waterlogging in King’s Circle and adjoining areas would be resolved after the Mahul pumping station is commissioned. But that is four kilometres away from King’s Circle. Have they taken this into account? Or will it go the Hindmata way?” asked Desai.

Following the 2005 deluge, the BMC had refreshed its 1993 project called the Brihanmumbai Stormwater Drainage (Brimstowad) project which involved, among other things, the building of eight pumping stations and 58 different works for upgradation and improvement of rain-receding capacity of the city’s century-old drainage system. But 13 years after the deluge, only five pumping stations have been commissioned including Haji Ali, Irla, Love Grove, Cleaveland and Britannia pumping stations. While 50 per cent work on the Gazderbundh pumping station is complete, land acquisition for the Mahul and Mogra pumping stations is still in progress.

Following the heavy rains in August last year, the civic body also located a total of 225 waterlogging spots across the city where rain water took longer time to recede. Prior to this, there were only 66 such spots. Of the 225, it was found that waterlogging was not reported at around 120 places this season, said an official.