BMC gears up for monsoon, deploys 481 dewatering pumps in low lying areas

The BMC had deployed 481 dewatering pumps this year, of which 187 will be installed in the island city, 166 in the western suburbs and 124 in eastern suburbs. These pumps will be installed in low-lying areas like Hindmata, King’s Circle, Dadar, Khar, and Andheri, where waterlogging becomes a serious issue during the rains. Last year, the BMC had installed 477 dewatering pumps. Also, in June, there will 18 instances of high tide in Mumbai.

“These pumps are being installed in places which are low lying and don’t have adequate drainage measures. Also since we have several high-tide warning this month, the pumps will work as a means to channel out stagnant water for heavy rainfall upto 55 mm/hour,” said an official.

The civic authorities have also expanded its control rooms for its disaster relief helpline–1916 in all the 24 municipal wards, where citizens can get support in a much lesser response time in case of any mishap. Earlier, there was only one centralised line.

The BMC has also identified 453 flood-prone areas in Mumbai. Of these, work for widening the drains and desilting the nullahs is completed at 98 places, while the remaining spots too will be completed in the coming days, an official said.
Besides this, the BMC has ramped up its ongoing pre-monsoon desilting work. The civic authorities have aimed to remove 13.2 lakh Metric Tonnes (MT) of silt from the drains and rivers of Mumbai, of which civic officials have said that 80% have already been removed.

Earlier this week, the administration has also passed a circular stating that CCTV footage of the desilting works needs to be recorded to ensure all the barrels of the drains and rivers are being cleaned thoroughly.
Meanwhile, three teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been kept on standby in Mumbai as a precautionary measure.

Besides this, the BMC along with NDRF and Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) carried out a two-day recce of all the landslide-prone areas in Mumbai. “We have kept a disaster management plan ready and in case of any mishap, alternative mode of shelters have also been made in civic schools and halls as a temporary measure,” said officials.
Meanwhile, the BMC has directed all the 24 ward offices to carry out repair and patchwork of the roads in their jurisdiction to ensure all the potholes are filled regularly.

“Starting June 1, no new roads will be dug up and pothole filling works will be taken up round-the-clock by using cold mix asphalt,” an official from roads department told Express.