Mumbai: BMC to percolate water in its gardens and park during monsoons

Mumbai witnesses heavy rainfall every year but there are few chances for water to percolate in the soil. In Mumbai, almost every land is concritised during heavy rainfall, water goes into gutters and nullahs but it doesn't percolate. BMC had tried many campaigns about rain water harvesting but all went in vain. Now, BMC has decided to percolate water in its gardens and parks. As of now, BMC has constructed 1500 suction pits in 300 gardens in Mumbai.

According to Garden Superintendent, Jitendra Pardeshi, "BMC has been running this campaign since 2021. In cities like Mumbai due to concretisation, water does not percolate in soil. The motive behind the campaign is to teach running water to walk so that it can go downward and increase ground water level which helps to recharge wells, bore wells in gardens as well as in surrounding areas."

According to the BMC, last year in monsoon they percolated 4 lakh 5 thousand litre rainwater into soil. BMC's Garden department has displayed boards with detailed information i.e.how to prepare a percolation pit and what are its benefits which encourages lots of people to implement such pits in their premises.

According to Pardeshi, "BMC doesn't pay for any suction pits. There are some NGOs that are paying for every suction pit. The minimum cost to prepare a suction pit is around Rs. 5000 per pit."

Few years ago, BMC had implemented a campaign wherein the civic body had directed all the newly constructed buildings to make arrangements for rainwater harvesting in their premises but new societies did not pay any heed to the campaign. Many societies did not have space for the project and BMC also gave enough water supply to these buildings, which is the reason for the failure of the campaign. Now, BMC has undertaken a campaign of construction of suction pits. BMC has planned for 4500 pits in 700 parks and gardens of Mumbai. BMC has appealed citizens to construct such pits in their building premises.

list of gardens where suction pits have been constructed

---- Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak ground Kandivali west

--- Saint Dnyansehwar garden, Goregaon

--- Ganjawala Gardenr, Borivali

---- Shahid Tukaram Ombale Uddyan

--- Shubhash Chandra bose Uddhyan, Ghatkopar, Pant Nagar

Published on: Thursday, June 16, 2022, 11:59 PM IST