Mesh barriers to be installed along drains near residential areas: Additional civic commissioner

Additional civic commissioner Abhijit Bangar inspects the civic works in Mankhurd, on March 21. Pic/X

During the visit of the desilting work of the major and minor nullahs, Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar observed that a 250-metre stormwater has been disrupted by the Mumbai Metro railway work at Mankhurd. Bangar asked the officials to explore the idea of installing mesh barriers along the nallahs which are flowing near residential areas.

Bangar, along with the officials, had inspected the desilting work at the nullahs located in Mankhurd, Deonar, Ghatkopar, Laxmi Baug, Bhandup and Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road.

In Mankhurd, the officials discovered that a 250-metre stormwater drain has been disrupted owing to the Mumbai Metro construction work. The additional civic commissioner directed BMC officials to coordinate with the Mumbai Metro authority to ensure the completion of the work. Large amounts of household solid waste were seen floating in the drain, primarily owing to the dense settlements on both the sides where residents have been dumping waste. Floating solid waste, especially plastic, blocks the narrow sections of the drain, obstructing water flow and leading to an increase in waterlogging incidents. Bangar asked the officials to explore the option of installing tall mesh barriers and close the small alleyways leading to the drains as preventive measures.

At Deonar, it was found that several scrap dealer shops along the drain were dumping large amounts of waste into the water body. Given the risk of mesh theft, Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) mesh should be installed at necessary locations instead of standard metal mesh, BMC directed the officials.

The work of cleaning the drains started on Tuesday. Bangar directed the officials to ensure that each drain must be cleaned end-to-end with a day-wise schedule. A computerised system has been implemented for real-time progress monitoring. Junior engineers must be physically present at all times to oversee the desilting work, the additional municipal commissioner said.

During the inspection, it was also observed that the underpass beneath the railway tracks had not been cleaned for years at Bhandup. Using the swing loader equipment, the municipality has completed the cleaning.