12 March,2022 08:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
The BMC’s Storm Water Drain department has finalised contractors to arrange 380 pumps at the ward level, for the monsoons of 2022 and 2023, at a cost of Rs 92.70 crore. File pic/Sameer Markande
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has claimed to tackle 318 out of 386 flooding spots by spending crores of rupees on pumping stations, widening nullahs and gutters, and improving drainage systems. But it is still going to get 380 water pumps on rent for the monsoons of 2022 and 2023 at a cost of Rs 92.70 crore. The budget for the water pumps for 2022-23 has increased by 12 per cent.
In 2020, the BMC had arranged 279 pumps despite claiming there were only 24 flooding spots. But in 2020, it had to arrange for 86 more water pumps. Every year, the budget speech of the municipal commissioner mentions chronic flooding spots in the city and how the BMC tackled 80 per cent of them.
Remedial works to tackle 53 of the flooding spots are expected to be completed before onset of monsoon 2022. Of the remaining 68 spots, 11 are expected to be tackled after monsoon, the works to tackle 14 spots are in planning stage. The other 43 flooding spots falling in government/private properties.
So only 68 spots remained to be tackled this monsoon. But still the BMC has increased the number of pumps. The Storm Water Drain department finalised contractors to arrange 380 pumps at the ward level at a cost of Rs 92.70 crore. The standing committee approved it in the last meeting, which was held on Monday, March 7.
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The BMC has spent crores of rupees on desilting of nullahs, underground drains and on the long-running project of widening of nullahs, construction of pumping stations and now holding ponds. But the city still cannot withstand a heavy downpour without water pumps.
"We arranged 279 pumps in 2020 and 2021, but the requirement increased at the ward levels in both monsoons. So this time we will arrange more pumps and get the flood water pumped out immediately," said an official from the Storm Water Drain department.
