DNA Rain Check: When it rains, it's a flood of woes

KURLA: May 25 is when roadwork is to be finished officially, but locals are wary 

For the past six decades, residents of Kurla West have had to trudge through waterlogged streets during heavy or even moderate rainfall. Of late, the slow pace at which rainwater recedes has only piled on to their worries.

The flooding, aggravated due to the area being lowlying and in proximity of Mithi River, which overflows during heavy rains, gets flooded all the more, especially at some locations that turn into ponds during monsoon.

Flood-prone Pipe Road

Pipe Road has for years been infamous for waterlogging. According to the civic administration, because of a dip on teh geography of the area, waterlogging cannot be ruled out completely.

The road is adjacent to Kurla railway station, and water from here spills on to the tracks, submerging them entirely when it pours.

During the deluge in July 2005 as well as in August 2017, Kurla was on of the worst hit. Residents allege roadside nullahs, especially on Pipe Road, are not cleaned properly, which keeps rainwater from draining.

Civic activist Bhagwan Singh, a Kurla resident of over 60 years, said waterlogging is an annual feature. 

"There is apathy in the civic administration regarding pre-monsoon preparation. If they set a target to finish work by the start of May, waterlogging can be avoided to some extent," he said.

LIG Road

The road, connected with Pipe Road, is currently under repairs. and the ongoing work is unlikely to be finished before monsoon. Residents say the work started a month back and is going on at a very slow pace. Ajitkumar Ambi, assistant commissioner of L ward, where Kurla falls, said they have set a deadline of May 25. to finish the work

Holy Cross junction

The Holy Cross High School junction is another area between Ghatkopar and Kurla that is inundated every year. Apart from being low-lying, the road has a nullah which is clogged. Singh, who visited many parts between Ghtakopar and Kurla with the DNA team, claimed five to six vehicles get stuck here even it if rains for an hour.

Singh recalls that in the 1990s, rainwater used to recede in half an hour. "Now the scenario has changed. It takes several hours to clear even after rainfall stops," he said, adding that construction activity along Mithi River prevents the natural exit of water to the river.

Premier Road

On the stretch between Holy Cross School junction and CST Road, the BMC has been carrying out construction of a new road. The monsoon may hit the city within a month and if the roadwork is not complete by then, motorists as well as pedestrians are in for a nightmarish situation. According to residents, the work has been going on for almost more than a month and around 60 per cent of it has been complete.

ANDHERI & JOGESHWARI: Road level raised by a foot, but will that help?

The civic authority says it has started pre-monsoon work for the benefit of commuters on the Andheri-Kurla Road and Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), both known for traffic snarls even on a day when the sun is shining bright and the streets are dry.

DNA recently conducted an audit with citizens of Andheri-Kurla Road, whose height is being raised by one foot to let rainwater slide. And the citizen activists say repair of the entire stretch is unlikely to be complete in a month's time.

The road usually is flooded near Marol Naka and JB Nagar area during monsoon.

According to activists, they annually raise the issue of waterlogging with the ward office. "The roads are full of potholes. The nullahs are not cleaned properly due to which there's flooding," said Godfrey Pimenta, an activist residing in Marol Naka.

"They are raising the road level, and only after the monsoon will we find out if that has helped," said Pimenta.

Andheri subway, JVLR, and Andheri and Sahar police stations are the other spots of bother during monsoon.

"It's a nightmare to travel on JVLR in rains. Traffic is worsened by waterlogging. The civic body needs to work on waterlogging management during monsoon to help commuters," said Smita Bhingarde of Jogeshwari.

As per municipal commisisoner chief Ajoy Mehta, engineering solutions have been employed to ensure that waterlogging is brought under control.

Prashant Sapkale, K-East ward's assistant municipal commissioner, said, "We have identified missing culverts on JVLR near Majas depot. This time we are hoping there will be less waterlogging in the area."

Marol resident Godfrey Pimenta at a roadwork site

PREPPING K/E WARD

• Disaster control room equipped with an updated system. Engineers to be available round the clock during heavy rains.
   
• Medical team getting ready to tackle water-borne diseases.
   
• Sensitive areas where landslides can occur have been listed, and a warning will be given to the residents in advance.

OFFICIAL SPEAK

We have asked all contractors to complete roadworks by May 25, or stop. After this date, no construction work will be carried out and contractors will have to instal de-watering pumps to ensure that unfinished roadwork does not lead to waterlogging. Near Kalpana Cinema, we have undertaken two culvert-related works. But since it can only be finished after the monsoon, it will prove useful during next monsoon. Since Kurla is a lowlying area, the solution is to instal a pump. We will set up 23 high-capacity pumps to flush out rainwater at 19 flood-prone sites. 
—Ajitkumar Ambi, assistant commissioner, L ward

RESIDENT SPEAK

There is complete apathy in the civic administration. They never complete their work on time. They could find a permanent solution to waterlogging in Kurla despite every year there is flood like situation. Road works are incomplete and there is chance that it will complete before monsoon.
—Bhagwan Singh, citizen residing in Kurla for 60 years