Every year, just before the onset of monsoon in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) undertakes the cleaning storm water drains across the city. However, the task of cleaning stormwater drains in Mumbai city before monsoon this year has been delayed owing to the nation-wide lockdown. Looking at the delay, waste management experts feel that this could increase the chances of flooding in Mumbai.
Mumbai has roadside surface drains of close to 2,000 km. Whereas the underground and lateral drains measure approximately 440 km. The mammoth task to clean the gutter on the roads, both small and large stormwater drains across the city, is undertaken by the BMC in March.
But with the coronavirus crisis in place, the process to clean the gutter has been halted. Moreover, the required migrant labour is also not available for the work, which often requires manual cleaning of the drains with a spade.
Between June and September, Mumbai receives an average seasonal rainfall of 2,000 mm. Alongside, the city is located on the Western side by the Arabian Sea and is also intercepted by three creeks and four small rivers. Come monsoon, the water bodies are filled to the limit and therefore, a quick drainage system is necessary for pushing out the rainwater.
There are also 186 outfalls, that discharge all the surface water into the rivers and the Arabian Sea. But often, the canals connected to these outfalls are filled with garbage which gets dumped by the people regularly.
Meanwhile, a solid waste management expert who has worked with the BMC for many years told The Business Line that he fears that the delay in desilting and garbage removal could lead to excessive flooding in the city. He added that if the first rains are heavy, then there are chances that some silt and garbage in the drains could drain out into the sea due to the runoff. However, if the rains are moderate, that would be a sure recipe for disaster.
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