Desilting Mithi for last time: MMRDA to BMC

MMRDA superintending engineer D U Gajbhiye,overseeing the desilting work,said,“We have sent a letter to the municipal commissioner saying that from next year onwards,we are not going to take up Mithi desilting work as we expect the BMC to take it up as part of the annual maintenance work. We had taken up the work this year only because we felt the city should not suffer.”

The civic adminstration on Wednesday alleged that the lack of proper coordination between the BMC and other agencies will lead to a delay in desilting work this year.

Chief engineer L S Vhatkar of the Stormwater Drain department said,“The MMRDA has only completed about 25 per cent of the nullah safai and will take until June 7 to undertake the complete desilting of the Mithi stretch. Though we had given a deadline of May 30 to all agencies to complete desilting,most of them will not be able to complete it then.”

Gajbhiye said,“We started the desilting work on May 16. The only reason the work started so late is because the BMC refused to take it over from us despite repeated requests.”

The MMRDA was urging the BMC since January to take over the annual Mithi desilting work. Earlier this month,the MMRDA finally agreed to desilt the six-kilometer stretch,which falls under its jurisdiction,after the civic body’s repeated refusals. The MMRDA has been desilting the stretch after the 2005 deluge while the BMC does the rest of the annual desilting work of the 18-km Mithi river.

Officials said the BMC was also finding it difficult to undertake cleaning of drains at spots where monorail and Metro projects are underway. “There is a lack of cooperation from the Monorail and Metro officials as far as pre-monsoon works are concerned. There are stretches where there are Metro pillars in the middle of drains. The lack of proper desilting in those drains could lead to waterlogging and traffic problems,” Vhatkar said.

According to data provided by the BMC,it has completed over 82 per cent desilting work in the western suburbs,69 per cent in eastern suburbs and 60 per cent in the island city.