The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is preparing a Rs 10,000-crore flood mitigation project in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to strengthen Mumbai’s flood management infrastructure and seek financial assistance from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).
The proposed initiative aims to tackle 300–350 chronic waterlogging hotspots across the city through a combination of new pumping stations, expansion of existing pumping capacity, automated floodgates and improvements to the stormwater drainage network.
The move comes after days of heavy rainfall that caused widespread flooding and disrupted normal life in several parts of Mumbai. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide acknowledged that extreme weather conditions make flooding difficult to avoid.
“Waterlogging is unavoidable when around 300 mm of rain falls within a short span and coincides with a 4.5-metre high tide, as Mumbai is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has been extensively developed on reclaimed land,” Bhide said.
The proposed project reflects the civic body’s recognition that routine desilting alone is no longer sufficient to deal with increasingly intense rainfall events linked to changing weather patterns.
As part of the plan, IIT Bombay has been entrusted with preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR), which will support the BMC’s proposal for Central funding under the NDRF.
Explaining the scope of the project, Bhide said, “The proposed project aims to address 300-350 chronic flooding hotspots by completing the two pending pumping stations at Mogra and Mahul, constructing additional pumping stations where required, augmenting the capacity of existing facilities, installing automated floodgates, and strengthening the city’s stormwater drainage network.”
The BMC has also appealed to residents to avoid dumping solid waste and floating debris into rivers and nullahs, warning that clogged waterways reduce their carrying capacity and worsen flooding during heavy rainfall. Civic officials stressed that public cooperation, along with infrastructure upgrades, will be essential to improving Mumbai’s flood resilience.
Source: The Free Press Journal
