In a pre-monsoon meeting, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to immediately clear construction debris and ensure that floodwater doesn’t get accumulated during monsoons. BMC on Monday chaired a multi-agencies pre-monsoon meeting.
After torrential rain in the city last year, areas like Lamington Road, Nair Hospital, Agripada, Chinchpokli, Lalbaug, Worli Seaface and Worli BDD chawl were among the new waterlogging spots.
Activists and some experts blamed ongoing infrastructure projects like the Coastal Road and Metro works, but the civic body had dismissed the claims and emphasised it was due to an extreme weather event.
The meeting, held via video conferencing, was attended Central and Western Railways, Indian Navy, National Disaster Response Authority, Indian Meteorological Department, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, MHADA, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, Public Works Department of State Government, BEST, various power distribution companies and additional municipal and deputy municipal commissioners of BMC.
Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal reviewed pre-monsoon work including nullah cleaning in Railway and BMC limits. Chahal also directed the power distribution companies to audit the city’s power distribution system.
In case of nullahs and rivers, BMC carries out 70 per cent of the desilting works before the monsoon. The city has around 276 km of 280 major nullahs and around 438 km of minor nullahs.
The BMC needs to remove 3.62 lakh metric tonnes of waste from all these nullahs, as well as desilt a 21-km stretch in the Mithi river by May 31.