Monsoon won’t be easy this year for BMC

The civic budget for the coming year makes tall promises to complete the ongoing projects, but the reality is different.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allotted Rs1,514.7 crore for the storm water drains to make the city immune to monsoon’s wrath this year. But the whopping amount is likely to yield only diminutive results.

The chronic flooding and water logging spots, such as Hindmata, Lalbaug, Reay Road, Navjivan junction, Alankar cinema, Dr E Moses Road, Elphinstone Road and others in the vicinity, will be unaffected despite the ambitious project.

Monsoon is just four months away and the BMC has a series of projects lined up. The improvement works include construction of new drains, de-silting and widening of nullahs, rehabilitation of old drains and commissioning of pumping stations.

A provision of Rs1,240 crore has been made in the budget estimates for carrying out capital works including certain priority works as per recommendation of Brimstowad report, announced municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar in his budget speech on Friday. Also, provision of Rs68 crore has been made for de-silting of nullahs.

However, only a handful of four Brimstowad projects will be completed before monsoon arrives this year, while the remaining 23 projects under the same will be undertaken by March 2012.

“Only after completion of these works in 2010-11 and 2011-12, a sophisticated nullah system can be established across the city. This system will help minimise flooding in the catchment areas,” Kumar added.

Moreover, the fear of road cave-ins will continue to haunt the citizens this year too. Restoration and rehabilitation of the decades-old drains, which leads to road collapse, is also behind schedule. Only 15% of the total work of the dilapidated drains will be completed by March 31. The remaining is expected to be complete by 2012. Only after the pending drains are repaired, incidences of road cave-ins can be expected to decrease.

Besides, work on the pumping stations is also going at a slow pace. Out of the four pumping stations conceptualised by the BMC, Love Grove and Cleave Land Bunder will not be ready till this monsoon. However, a provision of more than Rs70 crore has been made for the two pumping stations. “The work orders for construction of Love Grove and Cleave Land Bunder have been issued. Efforts will be made to complete the work in 2012-13,” Kumar said.

The drain system works with the concept of gravity. With no pumping stations in the vicinity to speed up the drainage, the water in adjoining areas tends to clog. Hence, for residents in the vicinity of Lower Parel, Hindmata, Drainage Channel road, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg and Kalachowky tussle with water logging will be the same old story.

The capacity of most of the drains is around 25mm of rain per hour. It exceeds to more than 1,400mm during June and July.