Mumbai: Hindmata, the saucer-shaped, low-lying area between Dadar TT and Parel is one of the chronic water-logging spots that every year witnesses the July 26, 2005 deluge-like situation. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has claimed this monsoon the area will not witness such water-logging.
An ongoing project to help drain out water by augmenting the drainage system on the stretch is in its last phase and will be completed much before the monsoon hits Mumbai. The work, aimed at eliminating waterlogging at the junction, involves widening of existing drains and laying new drains. It is part of the BMC’s plan to eliminate all flood spots in the city.
Hindmata is considered as the most crucial junction and water from surrounding areas like Parel, Lalbaug and Dadar get accumulated here. Britannia pumping station, which is 5 kms away, failed to address the problem. Despite all efforts in recent years claimed BMC to control the flood, the area goes under minimum 1 to 1.5 feet water every year.
After conducting a detailed study in 2017, the corporation in June 2018, initiated a three-fold plan to augment the stormwater drain to intercept the waterflow before it reached Hindmata. Of the three phases, two were scheduled to complete before monsoon 2019, but the delay in the permission of cutting trees halted first part of converting British Era Arch drain into box drain leading from BJ Devrukhkar Marg to Madkebuwa Chowk on Dr Babasahed Ambedkar Road. “The drain’s capacity to release water will be increased up to 50 mm from the existing 25 mm rainfall in an hour,” said Sanjay Jadhav, Chief Engineer of the BMC stormwater drain (SWD) department.
The work of constructing a 7-km-long stormwater drain is in its final phase Jadhav said on Wednesday.
In the first phase, BMC is reconstructing a 750-metre-long 3.6 sqmts box drain from BJ Devrukhkar Road (near Hindmata) to Madake Buva Chowk, a British era drain. The work is 90 per cent complete and the rest will be over before the monsoon 2020, Jadhav informed.
Similarly, in the second part, an additional pipeline of 1,800 mm diametre will be laid by micro-tunnelling in a stretch of 950 metres from Lalbaug police chowkie to Shravan Yashwante Chowk, which too is 90 per cent done, claims SWD dept.
The third part, in a stretch of 800 metres from MD College junction to Sai Baba Marg junction to Lalbaug police chowkie, a 1,000-diametre drainpipe is being replaced by three drainpipes of 1,200 mm, 1,400 mm and 1,800 mm diameter. BMC is in its last phase of construction of a 7-km-long drain. Around 8,202 feet long (2.5 km) reconstruction of the box-drain is done. “While constructing this box -drain, a proper slope has been given to connect one drainage system to the other and water flow will be easy," added Jadhav.
