Tackled flooding issue at vital spots, says BMC
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has claimed that the Dr Anandrao Nair Road which is opposite Nair hospital will be totally free of floods from next year onwards. Civic officials said construction work of the box drain is currently 45 per cent complete and this year, rainwater will drain rapidly as compared to previous years. A few years ago, the BMC had identified six chronic flooding spots along roads that are important for connectivity across the city. The BMC has resolved the issue at four of these locations.
More importantly, the water holding tank work at Parel and Dadar has been completed, which will help drain rainwater in the Hindmata and Parel areas. The Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road serves as a very important link between the eastern suburbs and the city. “This monsoon, traffic flow on the road will not be affected due to waterlogging. This will also ease the movement of patients visiting KEM, Wadia and Tata Memorial hospitals located around Parel,” said a BMC official.
Over the past years, local train services have been affected due to waterlogging at Sion and Matunga stations. To tackle this issue, the BMC has undertaken work to strengthen the stormwater drain network and also set up a mini pumping station. “The civic body will also erect temporary flood gates prior to the monsoon,” the official said, adding that work to prevent flooding at Mahalaxmi railway station was completed successfully last year.
To prevent flooding in the Wadala Fire Station area, capacity of the drainage network was increased and a mini pumping station was set up in the area. The BMC will also install two de-water pumps that can discharge three cubic metres of water per hour.
The capacity of the drain has also been increased at Byculla railway station (East) while work to construct a new drain between Dr Ambedkar road and Dattaram Lad Marg is 85 per cent complete, which will ease traffic flow during the monsoon.
After witnessing major waterlogging along Dr Anandrao Nair Road, a study revealed there wasn’t a stormwater drainage network in place. The BMC then undertook the construction of an underground drain which is currently 45 per cent complete.
“The stormwater drains department undertook work to tackle issues at several major flooring spots in the city and it is now complete,” Additional Municipal Commissioner P. Velarasu said, adding that it will provide relief to motorists and citizens at large, during the monsoon.