Mumbai: Two decades after it was first proposed, Mumbai’s long-awaited Mogra pumping station is finally set to take shape. Work will begin on October 15 following environmental clearances, with the project expected to address recurring flooding in Versova, Andheri and Jogeshwari.
₹393-Crore Project Cleared
The proposed pumping station, with tidal gates, retaining walls and allied infrastructure, will be built along the Mogra nullah near Oshiwara and Lokhandwala. Sanctioned at Rs 393 crore in 2021 with a 24-month deadline, the project was delayed by land acquisition hurdles and a site conflict with Phase 2 of the Versova–Dahisar Coastal Road. After preliminary work began in March 2025, the site had to be shifted near Lokhandwala Creek Road, requiring fresh Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) approval and final Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) clearance. All environmental clearances have now been secured, a senior civic official confirmed.
Though the completion deadline is three years, the civic body aims to commission the facility before 2029. The project is part of Mumbai’s Rs 13,000-crore Integrated Flood Control Action Plaan, backed by financial support from the Centre to tackle the city’s chronic monsoon flooding. The ambitious plan includes upgrading drainage and pumping systems, expanding storm-water drain capacity, rejuvenating the Mithi River and deploying nature-based flood mitigation measures. "The Mogra Pumping Station is a key component of the plan," the official added.
Residents Seek Faster Work
Dhaval Shah, co-founder of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association, said, “The project is already delayed and should now be completed on priority to ease flooding in Link Road, Veera Desai Road and other low-lying areas in Andheri. Sofas and other bulky waste are being thrown into nullahs, choking the waterway and reducing its capacity. The civic body must also crack down on dumping in the nullah," he added.
When high tide closes Mumbai’s floodgates, pumping stations become the city’s frontline defence against waterlogging, draining stormwater into the sea. Mumbai’s first facility at Irla, Juhu, became operational in 2010, followed by stations at Haji Ali, Cleveland, Lovegrove in Worli, Reay Road-Britannia and Gajdhar Bandh at Khar Danda. But two stations—Mogra and Mahul—remain on the unfinished list. Recommended by the Chitale Committee among eight pumping projects under BRIMSTOWAD after the July 26, 2005 floods, both projects are yet to be completed.
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