Mumbai News: Floating Garbage in Nullahs Despite Desilting

Mumbai: Even after desilting drains, floating garbage has been found clogging nullahs in some places. To resolve the issue, the BMC has mulled either appointing a separate contractor to remove the floating materials or covering the nullahs with wire mesh. To study the feasibility of these measures, the civic authorities have decided to appoint a consultant.

SWD claimed desilting work over before deadline

The storm water drain (SWD) department claimed to have completed desilting work before the deadline of May 31, this year. However, heavy rainfall lashed the city last Saturday and massive waterlogging was witnessed in several low-lying areas, such as Andheri subway, Malad and Dahisar Subway. The civic body later claimed that cupboards, beds and even 165 litres of refrigerator were found in Mogra nullah. The guardian minister of city, Deepak Kesarkar has instructed the BMC to carry out an awareness campaign in areas near to nullahs.

To avoid such incidents in future, the SWD department had requested the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department to appoint a separate contractor to remove the floating material from the nullahs throughout the year. However, the SWM officials were not ready to take the job as cleaning the nullahs is the responsibility of SWD. Now, the civic authority has decided to appoint a consultant to study the issue and find a permanent solution, said civic sources.

“We have carried out several awareness campaigns in areas near nullahs. We had also kept our team in the past to monitor the nullahs but the situation did not change. Now we are thinking of covering it with wire mesh and opening it to one side where silt can be removed. But nothing has been finalised yet. The consultant is expected to submit the report in the next two months,” said a senior civic official. There are 254.67km of major nullahs, 443.84km of minor nullahs, and 21.35km of the Mithi River.