Mumbai: Mini pumping station at ONGC outfall near Masjid Bunder station to be completed before monsoon

Here is good news for commuters of Central Railway. Work of setting up a mini pumping station at ONGC outfall near Masjid Bunder station will be completed before monsoon and work order for the same is already issued. Earlier only a 300 cum capacity pump was available at ONGC outfall. As result, huge flooding reported near Masjid Bunder and Sandhurst Road railway stations in the recent past. New mini pumping stations will able the pump 9000 cum water per hour.

Masjid and Sandhurst area is considered one of the low line sections of the Central Railway. In 2020, suburban trains were held up between Sandhurst Road and Masjid railway stations near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and the railway was forced to call NDRF for the rescue operation during monsoon.

Earlier Central railway had waterways capacity at Masjid Bunder and Sandhurst Road railway stations by providing two more underground ways for stormwater where in they would use micro tunnelling methods till last year.

Microtunnelling is a trenchless solution for constructing small diameter tunnels, used especially for projects that require the tunnel to cross under dense traffic roads, railways and rivers.

Confirming the development a senior officer of CR said in a coordination meeting (which happened last week in BMC headquarters) between railway and Municipal Corporation officials, BMC officials states the work order for the setting up a mini pumping station at ONGC outfall is already issued, which will be completed in June 2022 before monsoon.

After completion of this mini pumping station, Mumbaikar will get real benefits of both new waterways created by the railway first one at Masjid and the other near Sandhurst Road station. The capacity of existing pumps at ONGC out fall is inadequate, hence water-logging was reported at a few location in last monsoon also.

Apart from that during the meeting, flooding issue at Byculla railway station during monsoon was also discussed. "Keep in the mind water flow of the area BMC officials agreed to install three additional pumps each of 3000 cum per hour capacity for the pumping of stormwater of Byculla area," said a senior railway officials who was present in that meeting.