Higher red mark,lower panic level

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is all set to revise the danger level of Mithi River from 2.7 metres to 3 metres.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is all set to revise the danger level of Mithi River from 2.7 metres to 3 metres. Stating that the Mithi improvement project has facilitated faster flow of the river,civic officials said,there is no threat to the hutments and structures adjoining Mithi even if the water rises till the existing danger level.

Tuesdays downpour,165 mm rainfall in the suburbs,and the high tide (3.98 metres) in the evening created panic among Mumbaikars as news reports on Mithi crossing the danger mark were flashed across news channels. Rescue teams from the Navy and the fire brigade were rushed to evacuate 140 people from Kranti Nagar in Kurla after the river crossed its danger level of 2.7 metres on Tuesday.

Encroachments around Mithi at Kranti Nagar have been removed and the river has been widened and deepened. Due to these measures the water doesnt cause flooding even at the danger level mark. To avoid panic,we will revise the level at 3 metres, said additional municipal commissioner,R A Rajeev.

As per the BMCs Standard Operating Procedure on Mithi,when the water level rises to 2.4 metres,an alert is sounded. At 2.7 metres,Navy and Army is called and at 2.9 metres,rescue and rehabilitation work begins.

Officials said that since the river doesnt pose any danger at 2.7 metres there was no need to carry out the evacuation process. The soffit (underside) of a bridge near Kranti Nagar,which runs over the river,has actually been raised from 2.7 metres to 3.1 metres.

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