Lessons learnt: Immediately clear water entrances to avoid flooding, orders BMC: The Times of India

Mumbai: Sunday's pre-monsoon showers seem to have taught the civic administration a few lessons. After flooding was observed in the areas between Dadar and Parel, the BMC on Monday ordered its officials at all wards to immediately free all water entrances of garbage or silt to avoid localized flooding during a downpour.

The civic administration claimed that the flooding on Sunday was due to showers coupled with high tide, which caused sea water to enter the low-lying areas, especially Hindmata.

Since the last few weeks, the municipal corporation has been claiming that this monsoon would be much better compared to the earlier years. But Sunday's showers seemed to have washed away its rain-ready claims. The civic administration, however, has claimed that there was no flooding on the 500-m stretch from Ambedkar Road till Acharya Dhonde Marg where its men were working on connecting missing drain links.

SVR Srinivas, additional municipal commissioner incharge of the storm water drains (SWD) department, said, "There was no flooding in the area where we have been working on building the missing link. The saucershaped junction will be completely free of waterlogging next year when the Britannia pumping station will be functional. We we have instructed all our officials to free all water entrances to ensure that there is no flooding locally."

The Britannia pumping station, which is expected to be ready by December 2015, is likely to provide relief to Hindmata, an area which is below sea level and gets flooded every monsoon, Abhuyadaya Nagar, Petit Lane, Jijibhoy lane, Madkebua chowk, Kalachowki, Lalbaug and areas surrounding Reay Road and Byculla.

Despite civic authorities' claim that they are still ready for a downpour and the first heavy shower would be the real test, Mumbaikars are not convinced. King's Circle activist and AGNI coordinator Nikhil Desai said that if a drizzle could cause such flooding in Hindmata, how could the civic body be ready when heavy rains hit the city . "The BMC should stop bluffing us every monsoon by saying they are prepared for the rains when the actual scene at the ground is absolutely different. At several places in FNorth ward, manhole covers have been missing for the last several days. Despite following up with the authorities, the manhole covers at Five Gardens, near VJTI College and on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road are still missing," said Desai.