Will Mumbai be flood-free this monsoon?

Will Mumbai be flood-free this monsoon?

FPJ BureauUpdated: Monday, June 03, 2019, 07:51 PM IST
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Mumbai: Cleaning of nullahs in the city plays a vital role during the onset of monsoon. And the reason for low-lying areas getting flooded is due to unclean nullahs, drainage systems and the sewage lines. But going by the current scenario, this year too the cleaning of nullahs, sewage lines are yet to be completed. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has claimed that 50 per cent of cleaning of all nullahs and Mithi river has been completed in Mumbai. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar, leader of the Opposition Ravi Raja, have said not even 35 per cent of the cleaning work had been carried out, and the administration has been giving false information.

Further Raja said that the work of the nullahs cleaning work has been neglected by the BMC. Shelar also alleged that due to election, BMC has overlooked this work. Whereas according to Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, cleaning of nullahs across the city has been efficiently carried out. BMC has provided provision of rain water channels. The capacity of the rain water channel was to carry 25 mm of water till July 26, 2005. There are also drains at Poisar, Dahisar and Vakola creeks. All the sewage waste are let in the creeks and the sea through these drainage lines. However, during the monsoon, water drainage systems in the city should be cleaned.

According to a report, there are four rivers nullahs — Mithi, Dahisar, Poisar and Vakola. These nullahs need to be cleaned and a jumbo boundary wall should be constructed as the waste from the leather markets, furniture markets, debris are not dumped into these nullahs which are meant to let only drainage water in. As a result, when solid and hard substances are put in these nullahs to a certain point it gets choked and then these nullahs flood during monsoons. This was considered to be the major cause of floods in Mumbai on July 26, 2005. Mithi river, Poisar, Dahisar and Oshiwara have to be cleaned every year. After 2005 deluge, the civic authorities learnt a good lesson and thereafter they carried out the work of cleaning Mithi river and other nullahs in the city.

Every year BMC spends Rs 2.5 crore to conduct repair works, and cleaning of nullahs for areas which fall under the railways. But the railways never submit their report of funds used.  BMC floats tenders for appointing contractors for the cleaning work of nullahs, gutters and rivers, but most of these contractors are associated with the BMC officials. These contractors con the BMC by showing large portion of waste being cleared from gutters, rivers, etc by mixing debris with the wet waste.
This is how the contractors and civic officials earn profits by cheating BMC in getting their bills cleared on extra amount of waste extracted during the cleaning process.

Cleaning of big drainage systems are carried by Poklane, JCB machines, etc. The rain water drains, small drains, gutter and small nullahs are cleaned by workers manually, who are not even provided with safety kits like masks, gloves, helmet. These labourers enter the manhole without any safety gears due to which many times they die due to suffocation inhaling harmful gases oozing out from drainages. At some places child labourers are involved in the cleaning work. The drains, rivers should be cleaned and the silt should be removed. Encroachment along side of rivers, etc. should be removed immediately. The cleaning work should be shot on video for record purpose as earlier the contractor used to just edit any old picture of the cleaned nullah or river and later they submit it to the BMC to get their dues cleared without conducting any cleaning work.  Contractors’ work needs to be audited by a third party organisation, as it is necessary to get a detailed report which will state what amount of wet waste was removed from the river and where it has been dumped.

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