Flooding spots in Mumbai increase substantially in two years

27 Apr 2021 CW Staff

In the last two years, flood spots in Mumbai have increased considerably and have now reached areas which have never been affected before.

Apart from low-lying areas and chronic flooding spots, rainwater gushed inside gated housing societies in south Mumbai that had previously never been flooded.

As many as 24 new spots have emerged in the city since last year’s monsoon. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data, 139 flooding spots need to be tackled this monsoon.

Every year since 2015, ahead of the monsoon, 24 ward officers prepare a list of the flooding spots and a specific plan and allocate a budget to tackle each spot. If vehicular and pedestrian traffic is completely disrupted after rainfall of 50-60 mm in an hour, the civic body lists the area as a flooding spot.

Other than temporary measures like dewatering pumps and clearing debris, ward officers are asked to prepare long-term remedial measures along with different agencies like Railways, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd(MMRCL) (MMRCL), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). Remedial measures include remodelling of draining channels, increasing the area’s water absorption, and the addition of floodgates.

Number of flooding spots has increased by 132 in the last two years. This year, there are 405 flooding spots, of which 176 are in the western suburbs and 139 in Mumbai. Till last year, there were 386 such spots and the year before that, 273.

According to a study by a Delhi-based think tank, CEEW, Mumbai has witnessed a three-fold increase in the frequency of extreme flood events between 1969 and 2019.

Last year, on August 5, large parts of south Mumbai were inundated after the city reported its heaviest single-day downpour in August in 46 years with 293.8 mm of rainfall in 12 hours, considered extremely heavy. The following morning, India Meteorological Department’s Colaba observatory recorded 331.8 mm rainfall in 24 hours, which is also the second-highest 24-hour rainfall recorded by the observatory in any month of monsoon since 1974.

For Nair Hospital and Mumbai Central, officials from the stormwater drain department had claimed that ongoing Metro 3 works had damaged the old drain network, leading to flooding last year. Nair Hospital is one of the new flooding spots listed this year. While MMRC will construct a box drain after completion of the metro, an additional dewatering pump has been installed at the site.

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In the last two years, flood spots in Mumbai have increased considerably and have now reached areas which have never been affected before. Apart from low-lying areas and chronic flooding spots, rainwater gushed inside gated housing societies in south Mumbai that had previously never been flooded. As many as 24 new spots have emerged in the city since last year’s monsoon. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data, 139 flooding spots need to be tackled this monsoon. Every year since 2015, ahead of the monsoon, 24 ward officers prepare a list of the flooding spots and a specific plan and allocate a budget to tackle each spot. If vehicular and pedestrian traffic is completely disrupted after rainfall of 50-60 mm in an hour, the civic body lists the area as a flooding spot. Other than temporary measures like dewatering pumps and clearing debris, ward officers are asked to prepare long-term remedial measures along with different agencies like Railways, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd(MMRCL) (MMRCL), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). Remedial measures include remodelling of draining channels, increasing the area’s water absorption, and the addition of floodgates. Number of flooding spots has increased by 132 in the last two years. This year, there are 405 flooding spots, of which 176 are in the western suburbs and 139 in Mumbai. Till last year, there were 386 such spots and the year before that, 273. According to a study by a Delhi-based think tank, CEEW, Mumbai has witnessed a three-fold increase in the frequency of extreme flood events between 1969 and 2019. Last year, on August 5, large parts of south Mumbai were inundated after the city reported its heaviest single-day downpour in August in 46 years with 293.8 mm of rainfall in 12 hours, considered extremely heavy. The following morning, India Meteorological Department’s Colaba observatory recorded 331.8 mm rainfall in 24 hours, which is also the second-highest 24-hour rainfall recorded by the observatory in any month of monsoon since 1974. For Nair Hospital and Mumbai Central, officials from the stormwater drain department had claimed that ongoing Metro 3 works had damaged the old drain network, leading to flooding last year. Nair Hospital is one of the new flooding spots listed this year. While MMRC will construct a box drain after completion of the metro, an additional dewatering pump has been installed at the site. Image SourceRead also: Mumbai Eastern Waterfront: Issues in port redevelopment plan Read Also: Mumbai Eastern Waterfront and what Taipei has to do with it