The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has set May 31 as the deadline to achieve 100% desilting of drains and rivers across Mumbai, as part of its annual preparations to tackle monsoon flooding.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, accompanied by Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, conducted an on-ground review of the ongoing work on April 8. The inspection covered critical locations such as the Mithi River near Jetavan Udyan in Bandra-Kurla Complex, the Worli nullah near Nehru Science Centre, and the Dadar–Dharavi nullah.
During the visit, Bhide instructed officials to follow a strict timeline to ensure that desilting work across the entire Mithi River catchment, as well as all major and minor drains prone to waterlogging, is completed before the monsoon sets in. She stressed the importance of clearing both accumulated silt and garbage to minimise the risk of flooding.
“The entire catchment area of the Mithi River, as well as small and large drains in Mumbai where water stagnates during the monsoon, should be kept in mind, and garbage from those areas and silt from the drains should be removed on a priority basis. For this, time-bound planning should be done to ensure that drain cleaning is 100% completed by May 31, 2026,” Bhide directed officials, according to a BMC statement.
In addition, she directed officials to inspect all major stormwater drain manholes and covers as part of preparedness measures. At the Dadar–Dharavi nullah, immediate repairs were ordered for damaged retaining walls in the upstream section through coordination between ward teams and the stormwater drains department.
Desilting work on the Mithi River is currently in progress at six locations under three separate packages. The Commissioner reviewed progress across these packages, assessed machinery deployment, and called for faster execution. Senior officials, including Girish Nikam, Kalpana Rawool, and Sanjay Ingle, were present during the inspection.
Source: Swarajya
