Underground metro 3 works might be the reason for water logging: Ravi Raja

By Vikas Nag
@nag228

Mumbai: On Wednesday, for the first time South Mumbai experienced the incident of water logging which was never seen before. From Wankhede Stadium to Nariman Point, Mantralaya water was accumulated on roads. People were surprised by see the water logging as they haven’t seen ever before.

The leader of opposition in BMC, Ravi Raja, has attributed the non-cleaning of drainage and Metro work for the water logging in South Mumbai. He expressed apprehension that the works of under-ground metro tunnel may have damaged the drainage line during construction.

Most areas of South Mumbai were submerged in water due to the incessant rainfall on Wednesday.  Water had entered houses, shops, hospitals and offices due to which people have suffered a huge loss.

Ravi Raja has written a letter to BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, demanding to issue show cause notice and black listing the contractor given the work for cleaning the drainage system.

Ravi Raja has alleged that the BMC officials are working gloves in hand with the contractors and have given an open leeway to scam the drain cleaning to benefit the contractors.

“It was the first time when water logging occurred in South Mumbai. Like every year, this year too, contractors have not completed their work of cleaning the drainage system this is one reason and also there are chances of the drainage system might have leaked as Metro works were going on. So BMC should issue show cause notice to the contractor and blacklist them and also BMC should conduct an inspection for any damage in the underground water drainage system due to the metro 3 works”, said Raja.

Further he added, BMC should hire Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Mumbai) or  Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) to conduct the inspection for any leakage or reason for the water logging.

Sanjay Darade, chief engineer for roads and bridges in BMC said,”the metro 3 works cannot be blamed for the water logging. Metro tunnel in South Mumbai is being built 23 to 29 meters underground. But still a joint inspection of BMC engineers and MMRCL engineers will be conducted if necessary.”

Earlier, the BMC has blacklisted a company for seven years after it was found to be connected to two contractors debarred in the nullah cleaning scam. The firm, M/s Global Waste Management Pvt Ltd, has moved the court against the order.

A social activist Zoru Bhathena said, ” this was going to happen as in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) it is clearly written that sea should not be reclaimed until and unless there is no other option left for development but here in Mumbai the decision of recommendation of sea was extremely wrong because when you reclaim sea, sea will make its own way and that was the result the whole Mumbai experienced for the first time on Wednesday”

Even during the heavy rainfall of July 26, 2005 the entire city was submerged in water but South Mumbai was not affected, said Bhathena.