Out of the 225 waterlogging spots identified by the civic body across the city in 2017, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) aims to complete repairs at 60 spots ahead of this year’s monsoon. The measures include storm drain augmentation, construction of additional drains, addition of floodgates, remodelling of drains and culvert up-gradation among others.
The BMC had drafted a list of 225 chronic flooding spots after the deluge on August 29, 2017, and introduced remedial measures for same. The chronic flooding spots are where floodwater takes a long time to recede. Before 2018 monsoon, the civic body had finished work at 160 spots. Some areas where work has been completed include Masjid Bunder where floodgates were fixed, Deonar Municipal Colony and Devkabai chawl in Ghatkopar where drain augmentation was undertaken and at Tardeo market where additional stormwater drains were laid.
Over the past few years, the number of flooding spots in the city has increased to 225, from 40 spots in 2014. Civic officials blamed the construction work across the city for the additional flooding spots. “In view of heavy intensity rainfall and lesser number of rainy days in last few years, it was decided to change methodology completely to deal with flooding spots and accordingly a micro planning was done for abatement of each and every flooding spot,” said Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, in his 2019-20 budget speech.
According to BMC’s budget speech for 2014-15, there were 40 chronic flooding spots in the city. In 2015-16 and 2016-17, the same number continued. But in the budget speech of 2017-18, it was revealed that the number of flooding spots had increased to 66.
In 2018-19 budget speech, the municipal commissioner had mentioned that during the heavy rainfall on August 29, 2017, BMC officials identified a total of 146 flooding spots, which was later raised to 225 ahead of the 2018 monsoon. The civic body is confident of finishing flood remedial measures undertaken at Hindmata before monsoon.
