Mumbai: BMC ramps up desilting, drainage work ahead of monsoon, sets strict timelines

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC on Tuesday directed all agencies operating in the city to complete premonsoon works on priority through coordinated planning as part of efforts to minimise flooding and disruptions during the rainy seasonAccording to the civic body Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide issued the instructions at a joint review meeting held at the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai headquarters Senior officials from multiple departments and external agencies attended the meetingFocus on drainage and flooding hotspotsThe BMC said slow water drainage has been identified at 93 locations across the city and suburbs Investigations into the causes are underway while drainage channels are being cleaned regularly to prevent blockagesTo strengthen preparedness the civic body plans to deploy 547 portable dewatering pumps in waterloggingprone areas Pumping stations are scheduled to become operational from May 1 while roundtheclock manpower equipped with pumps will be deployed from May 15 Mobile dewatering pump vehicles will be stationed for quick response and realtime monitoring mechanisms including geofencing and image sharing will be implementedAdditional pumps are being installed at key locations such as Marol Worli Mahalaxmi Matunga Bhandup Chunabhatti and Dadar the BMC saidRoad works to reach safe stage before monsoonThe civic body reviewed ongoing road concreting works across Mumbai stating that Phase 1 covering 25636 km is over 83 per cent complete while Phase 2 spanning 22279 km has crossed 60 per cent completionOfficials have been instructed to ensure that all road works reach a safe stage before May 31 Preventive maintenance and trench filling are also to be completed within the same timeline The BMC said contractors will be appointed at the ward level to address pothole complaints while separate agencies will handle the Eastern and Western Express HighwaysEngineers have been assigned monsoon duties in each ward and a mobile application has been introduced to allow citizens to report potholesDesilting progress and river cleaningThe BMC reported that desilting of the Mithi River has reached 2713 per cent completion while work on major drains stands at 3897 per centThe civic body said efforts are ongoing to accelerate desilting work to ensure smooth discharge of stormwater before the monsoon intensifiesDangerous buildings evacuation warnings issuedThe BMC has identified 174 buildings as extremely dangerous including 141 privately owned structures under relevant municipal provisionsThe buildings are distributed across the city western suburbs and eastern suburbs Residents have been repeatedly urged to vacate these structures immediately The civic body warned that any untoward incident involving occupants who fail to evacuate will be their responsibilityCoordination with railways and metro authoritiesThe BMC highlighted the need for infrastructure improvements in coordination with Central Railway These include strengthening drainage near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and installing submersible pumps between Sion and KurlaClearance of blockages near Dadar and Matunga Road and improved drainage near Vidyavihar have also been identified as priority tasks Measures are being planned to prevent misuse of floodgates and to enhance pumping capacity at vulnerable locations such as ChunabhattiFor metro operations on the Aqua Line the civic body said dewatering pump capacity is being assessed and will be increased where necessary including near station entry and exit pointsTree trimming and safety measuresOut of nearly 19 lakh roadside trees in Mumbai more than 92000 have been inspected so far The BMC said 313 dead trees and 296 dangerous trees have already been removed while trimming work has been carried out on over 26000 treesThe civic body aims to complete the survey of trees by May 15 and finish trimming work by June 7 Notices have also been issued to establishments where tree maintenance is pending and emergency measures are being undertaken for hazardous treesDisaster preparedness fire floods and landslidesThe Mumbai Fire Brigade has been equipped with modern vehicles and flood rescue boats as part of monsoon preparedness Flood rescue teams with boats have been deployed and lifeguards have been stationed at key beaches Additional teams will be mobilised during high tides if requiredThe BMC has identified 249 landslideprone locations based on previous surveys including several categorised as sensitive and highly sensitive Detailed project reports have been prepared for critical sites and preventive measures are being implemented in coordination with multiple agencies Evacuation plans to nearby schools and construction of protective walls are also underwayPublic health measures intensifiedThe BMC said antimosquito drives cleanliness campaigns and rodent control measures are being carried out across the city to curb monsoonrelated diseasesMore than 1500 hospital beds have been reserved for potential cases during the season Data shared by the civic body shows that between January and March 2026 Mumbai reported 1366 cases of malaria 250 cases of dengue nine cases of chikungunya 51 cases of leptospirosis 1680 cases of gastroenteritis and 353 cases of hepatitis along with 10 cases of COVID19Emphasis on coordination and accountabilityThe BMC said timely completion of premonsoon works will depend on effective coordination among all departments and agencies It added that regular monitoring realtime reporting and public communication will be central to ensuring preparedness ahead of the monsoon