Irla’s flooding woes to be flushed out

If the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) assurances are anything to go by,   then a way has finally been found to alleviate the woes of people residing in low-lying areas during this monsoon. 

According to the civic body, water logging in low-lying areas will be a thing of the past as two pumping stations — at Irla (Juhu) and Haji Ali — will be functional from next week. 

If the pumping stations help, Prateeksha, Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow at Juhu Vile Parle Development (JVPD) scheme, a chronic flooding spot, will get relief. It had been such a cause for concern for Bachchan that he made a comprehensive mention of this problem on his blog last year; and assistant municipal commissioner Anil Khoje rushed to his house to make a power-point presentation explaining the reason behid flooding in the area.  

Not just Prateeksha, but other perennial flooding spots like Milan Subway, areas near Vile Parle station and near Cooper Hospital, Sahar Road junction, parts of Santa Cruz (West) and Vile Parle (West) are also expected to benefit.  

The Irla pumping station with eight pumps has a capacity to discharge 48,000 litres/sec of flood water into the sea. The station has been designed considering the 668-hectare Irla nullah catchment. 

“When there is high tide during monsoon, we will close the installed flood gates at the nullah. The water will be diverted to the pumping station which will then be discharged into the sea,” said Satish Narkar, executive engineer, storm water drain projects. 
A normal phenomenon which is observed in this area is that, even in the absence of rains, high tide water would come on to the roads. 

“During high tide of around 5 metres without rains, there would be water on roads in this low-lying area as water from manholes would come out,” said Narkar. 

Part of the Brihanmumbai Storm Water Drain (BRIMSTOWAD) project, the Irla station has cost Rs64 crore.