Mumbai: The BMC is apparently leaving no stone unturned to make sure that the city doesn't come to a standstill in monsoon. Though it has come under fire for its 'poor' desilting works, the civic body has time and again claimed that it's always at the receiving end for monsoon woes.
In the latest measure to keep flooding at bay, the BMC has commenced the work of increasing the capacity of the underground water holding tank at Pramod Mahajan Kala Park, Dadar West. With an estimated cost of Rs69 crore, the project is expected to be completed by May end. The tank would be able to hold water for three hours during heavy rain and hence tackle flooding in Hindmata and Parel area. The capacity of the tank at Kala Park will be expanded by 1.99 crore litres in the next few days, said a civic official.
Parel tank work complete
As per the initial plan, the Dadar and Parel tanks were to have capacities of 6 crore litres and 4 crore litres, respectively. Currently, the Kala Park tank can hold 1.62 crore litres of water, while 1.05 crore litres can be stored in the other tank. The work of expanding the capacity of Parel tank has been already completed.
The underground tanks were built at the Kala Park and St Xavier Ground, Parel in 2021. Though the tanks gave relief in the Hindmata area to some extent last year, it was found that they were not sufficient to hold floodwater. So, the civic authorities decided to increase the capacity of the tanks.
“As per previous design, the piling work of the second underground water holding tank at the Kala park would have impacted the railway track. So after realignment and redesigning, the project started post monsoon last year. The work of covering the tank with slab can be done later. Currently, we are working hard to complete the tank's construction before monsoon,” said a civic official.
The BMC spent Rs130 crore on the construction of two underground tanks and a rainwater pumping station under Hindmata flyover.
Year in which tanks were built
2021
Construction cost
Rs130 crore
Locations of existing tanks
Pramod Mahajan Kala Park, Dadar
St Xavier Ground, Parel
Capacity
Dadar tank; 1.62 crore litres
Parel tank; 1.05 crore litres
