Mumbai: BMC asks MMRDA to widen culverts along Eastern Expressway

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to widen the 13 narrow culverts along the Eastern Express Highway. The work will help collected rainwater recede faster as some parts of eastern suburbs get flooded every year despite the desilting of drains.

With the monsoons just a month away, the BMC has sped up desilting work across 386 spots prone to flooding across the city, with 100 locations still to be worked on. After studying the areas prone to flooding the BMC's stormwater drains (SWD) department has been looking to find a solution to solve the problem. Recently, the civic body came up with the idea to widen the culvert network in the eastern suburbs.

“There are a total of 16 culverts from Mulund to Sion. Out of these three culverts do not need to be widened. The BMC has asked MMRDA to widen the 10 narrow culverts. Accordingly, while concretising the road, they will be widening the culverts as well,” said Vibhas Achrekar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (in charge of the eastern suburbs) from the SWD department. The work is presented at the tendering phase and is expected to be completed by the next monsoons.

Further, to ease water logging in eastern parts, the Somaiya nullah, Laxmibagh nullah and Kannamwar Nagar nullah will also be widened. However, this work will take some time, so until it is completed the BMC will install additional pumps at these locations, said sources. Additional Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said, “The MMRDA has been asked to initiate necessary action for the widening of the narrow culverts.”

MMRDA commissioner SVR Srinivas said the BMC has asked for the 16 culverts to be widened. "We have undertaken to widen of 10 culverts. Three do not require to be widened and the remaining three require rigorous technical study. We have also asked the BMC to give their inputs."