Special focus on low-lying areas including Hindamata, Gandhi Market, says BMC chief Bhushan Ghagrani

Bhushan Gagrani directed civic officials to place special focus on ensuring low-lying areas

As Mumbai reels under the early arrival of the South West monsoon, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Commissioner and Administrator, Bhushan Gagrani, on Tuesday directed civic officials to place special focus on ensuring low-lying areas in the city do not get waterlogged during a downpour.

Gagrani also directed officials to ensure barricades and debris are removed from roads immediately after road concretisation work is completed.

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In addition, Gagrani instructed the civic officials to ensure all footpaths are quickly restored to a pedestrian-friendly status.

He further directed Mumbai civic body officials to ensure all dewatering pumps, including those at the underground water-holding tanks at Hindmata and Gandhi Market, remain fully operational during heavy rains.

Civic departments responsible for operating these pumps have been asked to stay in regular contact with BMC's Disaster Management Department and remain updated on daily rain warnings. In low-lying areas, additional dewatering pumps will be kept on standby. At present, BMC has deployed over 400 dewatering pumps across Mumbai.

Several spots across Mumbai experienced waterlogging during the intense spell of rain in the last week of May. Locations that have witnessed repeated waterlogging in the past resurfaced as problem areas for Mumbaikars, including Hindmata and King's Circle in the Island City.

On Tuesday, Gagrani carried out a physical inspection of several road works and waterlogging spots, including Hindmata in Dadar East, Gandhi Market near Sion, and the area surrounding Chunabhatti suburban railway station.

In preparation for the monsoon, BMC annually concludes all civic work at public locations - such as road concretisation and cleaning of stormwater drains (nullahs) - by the end of May or the first week of June. However, with the monsoon arriving early this year, work carried out by the Storm Water Drains (SWD) Department and the Roads Department is still ongoing.