Mumbai: Following the standing committee's directions, from this Wednesday until monsoon, the BMC administration will update the status of stormwater drains desilting in Mumbai. In the last standing committee meeting, the members pointed that the work has not been full-fledgedly started in certain wards like S and M-East, while in several areas the removed silt in lying uncollected for more than 48 hours, thereby adding inconvenience to the citizens.
Challenges and delays
The civic administration is facing a tough challenge to meet its deadline to complete the premonsoon desilting of all major, minor nullas and the Mithi River as the work in atleast four wards and for the most-crucial Mithi River was started late, due to retendering for appointing the contractors, following the Mumbai police's Economic Offense Wing inquiry in the desilting scam last year.
As of Monday, April 27, 39.49% of the total desilting and 327,167 MT silt has been removed, which below the target set by the administration. For the major nullas (including eastern and western suburbs + city area), so far 38.56% work is completed; and for minor nullas 45.05% work is completed. While for the Mithi River, as of April 27, only 26.32% desilting work is completed.
Target and monsoon concerns
The BMC aims to complete 80% of the desilting work before the monsoon hits, 10% during the monsoon and 10% post-monsoon. The corporators also raised concerns that if the premonsoon desilting is not completed at the expected pace and on time, and if the city faces intense premonsoon rains in May or the monsoon arrives before time like last year, the waterlogging across the city will be unavoidable. Following the concerns, standing committee chairman Prabhakar Shinde instructed the civic administration to provide progress of desilting in every week to the committee.
Meanwhile, the standing committee last week also approved contracts worth Rs 29.66 crore for desilting the 22-km Mithi river. The contracts were finalised after the civic body relaxed several tender conditions, having initially failed to attract an adequate number of bidders for the crucial flood mitigation work.
The desilting of Mithi River will be carried out in three phases- from Filterpada in Powai to Teachers’ Colony in Kurla, from Teachers’ Colony to the BKC Connector bridge, and from the BKC Connector bridge to the Mahim nullah outfall. M/s Prashant Lad has been awarded the contract for the first phase while Tulja Bhavani Constructions has been appointed contractor for the remaining two phases. The full-fledged work for the Mithi River desilting began in April first week.
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