In an attempt to tackle the flooding problem across the low lying areas of the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be remodelling the old drainage system at the areas of Hindmata Junction, Gol Deval and Mumbai Central.
During monsoon last year, the low lying areas of the island city had witnessed heavy flooding. In areas like Hindmata and Gol Deval, traffic movement was heavily disrupted due to long hours of water logging.
Last week, the civic body floated a tender, to appoint a consultant for planning, designing and preparing the bid documents for carrying out renovation works in the storm water drains of these low lying areas.
A senior official of the Storm Water Drainage (SWD) department said, a contractor would be hired for reconstructing the walls of the drains and for laying new pipelines underground. The official also informed, efforts are being made to transform the old scattered drains into one outlet for smooth flow of water.
"The island city has a drainage network of more than 500 kms and most of these drainage pipelines are more than 100 years old as a result cavity has been formed inside hence widening and reconstruction of the drainage will help us to tackle the flooding issues" the official told FPJ.
The official furthermore informed, they will be removing old trees whose roots have penetrated inside the pipelines and interrupting the waterflow. As a result of which, the department will be seeking approval of the Tree authority.
However this has miffed the green activists of the city. Environmentalist, Zoru Bhathena stated, that waterlogging in Hindmata has worsened after BMC had felled more than 40 trees last year.
"BMC will only increase the width of the drains, cutting will only worsen the waterlogging as Hindmata is a low lying area and water finds its owns level" Bhathena told FPJ.