After the Bombay High Court pulled up Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) administration for failing to clean the holding ponds which is important to prevent flood-like situation during heavy rainfall and high tide, the civic chief visited two holdings on Sunday to check the status and prepare a plan to clean them.
The capacity of holding ponds to store water during heavy rainfall has reduced due to the non-removal of silt for a long time.
Last week, the Bombay High Court issued notices to NMMC administration and environment ministry over non-cleaning of holding ponds.
As part of the stormwater management, CIDCO had planned 11 holdings ponds across Navi Mumbai to store excess water during heavy rainfall and high tide to prevent a flood-like situation in the city. However, over the period, the capacity of the holdings was reduced due to non-removal of silt and also the growth of mangroves at the flood gate.
Civic chief Abhijit Bangar along with the city engineer Surendra Patil visited two holding ponds in Belapur and Vashi. After the visit, Bangar directed the city engineer directed to prepare and submit a proposal to Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) and the Mangroves Cell of the Forest Department to seek permission to remove the sludge and increase the capacity of the holding pond as well as to find a way out of the growing fungus in the holding pond.
During heavy rainfall, excess water is flushed out from the holding ponds through the pump house. However, the pump house is more than 30 years old and needs immediate restoration. Bangar also directed to construct a new pump house with the latest technology and suggested to take experts suggestions from the IIT Bombay. He said, “The construction of new pump house will be carried out keeping future needs in mind, and accordingly suggestions will be taken from the experts,” said Bangar.
“It is important that the height of the pump house should be taken into consideration while constructing the pump house, so that the flow of water would not be obstructed and the water would be discharged properly,” said Bangar. He added that while constructing a new pump house, the old should continue to be used to prevent any waterlogging of flooding in the city.
