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BMC completes 30% desilting, task to be completed in one month

This year, a fund of Rs 235 crore has been allocated for the annual pre-monsoon desilting exercise, for which at least 25 agencies have been roped in.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has achieved 30 percent of its desilting target so far. (File)

As the city braces for the onset of monsoon within two months, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has achieved 30 percent of its desilting target so far, according to BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who said the complete target will be achieved over a period next one month.

In a bid to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon owing to choking and clogged drains, the civic body conducts desilting of minor and major nullahs across the city ahead of monsoon. Desilting refers to the process of extracting muck, silt and other sediments deposited in drains and riverbeds, to ensure smooth flow of drains during monsoon. Alongside the silt (soil) from the water which gets deposited naturally, a large amount of solid waste—from settlements along the drains—also gets accumulated in the city nullahs.

This year, a fund of Rs 235 crore has been allocated for the annual pre-monsoon desilting exercise, for which at least 25 agencies have been roped in.

On Thursday, civic chief Bhushan Gagrani visited pockets like Racecourse nullah, Nehru Science Centre nullah as well as Dadar Dharavi drain to conduct inspection of the ongoing desilting works. After taking stock of the exercise, Gagrani said nearly 30 percent of the targeted works have been completed so far, adding that the BMC is likely to achieve its complete target by the next month.

Amid several pockets sounding concerns over the heaps of silt kept along the drains, Gagrani instructed officials to ensure all the sludge from the drain is disposed of within 48 hours while also using equipment like ‘trash booms’ wherever required.

According to Gagrani, following directives from the chief minister, the civic body has also enhanced transparency in the process of desilting works by utilising artificial intelligence, for the first time ever, to analyse the quantum of silt and muck extracted during the exercise.

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