BMC to sink Rs 17 crore to keep flooded Chunabhatti afloat

Children play in waterlogged Chunabhatti in September 2020. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Chunabhatti, one of the most chronic flooding spots in the city, is unlikely to be any better this monsoon. While BMC plans to build a chamber to drain rainwater from this low-lying area and push it to another place using high-capacity pumps, the work worth R17 crore is yet to begin. Chunabhatti is inundated more than once every monsoon, triggering massive traffic snarls on the Eastern Express Highway.

Last year, the area was under four to five water on June 9, June 12 and on July 18. It had taken more than 8 hours for the water to recede on every occasion.

Waterlogging at Chunabhatti in June 2021. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

On March 7, the standing committee cleared a Rs 17-crore proposal to build a culvert and a chamber at the low-lying spot. As per the proposal, three pumps with higher horsepower would be rented for four years to take the water to Rahul Nagar nullah.

The work is supposed to be completed in six months excluding the monsoon. Since it usually takes a month for the BMC to issue the work order, it is unlikely that the work will be over before June.

As per the plan, three pumps with the capacity of sucking out 3,000 cubic metres of water - 30 lakh litresper hour, one pump capable of draining out 1,000 cubic metres of water per hour and two pumps capable of displacing 500 cubic metres of water per hour will be deployed in the area during the rain between 2022-2025. The water will be sent through a 1,200-mm drainage line to Rahul Nagar nullah, which will have iron gates near the IDEMI building to prevent the backflow of water.

"The plan is based on the rainwater drainage system of the area, capacity of water pumping, incidents of heavy rain, water level during high and low tide, BRIMSTOWAD report, etc. It will ensure the floodwater is removed quickly," said an official from the BMC.

Rs 17crore
Cost of the project