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DNA RAIN CHECK: Central trouble – Streets were inundated, but water receded quickly

As reported by DNA in its Rain Check series, Mulund station, P K Road, the vegetables market and Vijay Nagar are problem areas that witness not just flooded roads, but jagged ones.

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People say the flooding situation so far has been way better than last year
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Kurla remained the crowning point of all waterlogging seen so far this year along the central suburbs. Not only did the locals have to trudge through waterlogged streets, they also had to deal with rainwater entering their homes. Other flood-prone areas like Pipe Road, LIG, Holy Cross junction, Kalpana Cinema and Premier Road were also inundated after heavy rains.

This correspondent, accompanied by a civic expert, had visited these sites before the monsoon to check the civic body's preparations. Many roadworks were found to have been incomplete at the time, the repair of roadside nullahs was underway.

Pipe Road, once again, was dunked underwater. The administration claims that because of a dip in the geography of the area, waterlogging cannot be ruled out completely. LIG Road and Holy Cross junction were also overflowing. But Premier Road, once a chronic spot, was not.

The silver lining was that the collected water receded faster than last year.

Civic activist Bhagwan Singh, a Kurla resident for over 60 years, said, "This year, we are surprised to see that water is not stagnating for long." He added that after the media took up the issue, the civic ward office completed the necessary works in time.

Alim Khan, a member of Kurla Jan Vikas Mandal, said that Balaji Mandir Marg would be splashing by this time every year. But this time, the water beat a retreat in just a couple of hours. "The civic body constructed a bigger culvert and a new nullah to drain the water."

Shopkeepers on Pipe Road also lauded repair work on the roadside nullah. "Waterlogging is not new, but water was flushed out immediately," said Anik Ansari, a shop owner in the area.

The banks of the Mithi also held their own. "Despite the area being low-lying and next to the river, which overflows during heavy rains, there was no such problem," he said.

During the deluge in July 2005 and August 2017, Kurla was among the worst-hit localities, with its clogged, garbage-strewn drains.

The work in LIG Colony was finished before monsoon and there were fewer complaints. Ashraf Azmi, Congress corporator from Kurla, said, "There was stagnation but the water was released soon after the rain stopped." He said that the road in the area was constructed just before monsoon, so there were no issues with it.

The far-central suburbs of Bhandup and Mulund represent some of the biggest dangers the monsoons brings. The former has 161 landslide spots (the most across the city), while the latter experiences chronic waterlogging.

While no landslide has been reported this monsoon, Village Road, Khindipada, Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and the arterial LBS Marg got more than their fare share of rainwater, which made its way into some houses as well on Village Road.

Bhandup, however, remains vulnerable. BMC officials claim that they have already written to the MMRDA to request the construction of a retaining wall in the hilly regions of Tendi and Khindipada — home to over 20,000 people — to arrest a landslide. But there has been no development yet towards this end. "The monsoon is not over. And these places have a history of landslide," said Amarjeet Singh, a civic activist.

As reported by DNA in its Rain Check series, Mulund station, P K Road, the vegetables market and Vijay Nagar are problem areas that witness not just flooded roads, but jagged ones. The back-breaking condition of the road near the railway station continues to hound motorists. Sulabh Jain, a local activist said there was not much change from last year.

But mostly, locals are grateful that the rain intensity was low.

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