The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) and Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) have teamed up to undertake a thorough feasibility study for building subterranean water storage tanks on railway property to address the persistent problem of waterlogging that interrupts Mumbai’s suburban railway services each monsoon. The action is intended to address flooding, which frequently interferes with operations on the Central, Harbour, and Western Railway lines, in the long run.
Under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3A, the study will investigate the feasibility of constructing sizable subterranean tanks that might be used to temporarily store extra rainwater during the hottest monsoon season. By acting as short-term stormwater holding areas, these tanks would ease the burden on current drainage systems and avoid interfering with railroad operations. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will provide funding for the project.
“We are investigating all available railway land, whether on the Mainline, Harbour, Trans-Harbour, or Western corridors,” a top MRVC official stated. Finding feasible locations for the development of subterranean storage facilities without interfering with train operations or future expansion plans is the goal.
Despite frequent pre-monsoon desilting efforts, waterlogging is still a problem. The safety and timeliness of suburban services are significantly impacted by flooded tracks, which also result in delays and technical malfunctions in the signal and traction systems.
IIT-B’s year-long study will involve technical evaluations of the topography, soil, and current drainage systems. In order to maximise utility, it will also look at integrating the tanks with the current municipal infrastructure.
The idea is based on the successful approach that BMC used in the Hindmata area. The combined capacity of two large subterranean tanks, located beneath Pramod Mahajan Kala Park and St. Xavier’s property, is 6.48 crore litres. With a 2-crore-liter capacity increase for the Hindmata tank alone, these tanks greatly reduced flooding in the area during the previous monsoon.
If the study’s findings are encouraging, the city’s extensive suburban train network may see the implementation of comparable infrastructure in other flood-prone areas.
Source: The Times of India
