First flush of monsoon slows Mumbai in its tracks

MUMBAI: Friday's heavy showers caused waterlogging in the city's chronic flooding spots, including Hindmata, King Circle, S V Road in Bandra and Khar, Wadala and Sewri, raising questions about BMC's monsoon-preparedness. But there was a silver lining: Rainwater receded much faster compared to the previous years. For instance, in the morning, traffic movement was hampered at Dadar's Hindmata Junction-a saucer-shaped, low-lying flood-prone area where the BMC had taken up partial augmentation of stormwater drains as part of its pre-monsoon works.The BMC immediately pressed Britannia pumping station into service and rainwater was flushed out. "While waterlogging did occur, we ensured that rainwater was drained out as quickly as possible so that motorists would not be inconvenienced," said a civic official.
In the eastern suburbs, there was waterlogging in several areas in King Circle, Wadala, Sion and on LBS Marg in Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli and Mulund; while in the western suburbs, parts of SV Road in Khar and Bandra were submerged. King Circle activist Nikhil Desai said even Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg in Wadala, though not a low-lying area, was inundated. "It was surprising that the area got waterlogged even though there was no high tide on Friday," he said.
Sion resident G R Vora said waterlogging in King Circle's Gandhi Market area resulted in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the arterial B A Road. "In the afternoon, the jam caused a backlog stretching up to Chembur. But once the rain subsided, the situation improved," he said. "There was waterlogging near Shanmukhananda Hall in Sion too." While activist Anil Galgali observed that rainwater drained out faster, Khar resident Zoru Bhathena complained that the 'problem areas' on SV Road have not been fixed properly owing to which year after year, these stretches get inundated on a heavy rain day.
Bhandup resident Sandeep Joshi complained that residents of Village Road and Datta Mandir Road, near LBS Marg, face waterlogging every monsoon. "...Since it is a low-lying area, the BMC uses pumps, but it is not the solution. There is need to clear and widen nullahs..."