Mumbai: At Metro 3 site, cost of water pumps increases from Rs 66.39 crore to Rs 87 crore

Nariman Point, Fort, Tardeo, Mahalaxmi, Worli, Parel required almost double the pumps in 2020 and 2021. Representation pic/Sameer Markande

While no one is ready to talk about it officially, the data on the use of water pumps in the past two monsoons, suggests that underground Metro 3 work has led to flooding in the southern parts of the city.

Water pumps were arranged for all low-lying areas, but Nariman Point, Fort, Tardeo, Mahalaxmi, Worli, Parel required almost double the number of pumps in 2020 and 2021. The Metro 3 work was going on in full swing in these areas.

The overall cost of providing water pumps increased from Rs 66.39 crore to Rs 87 crore, which means it increased by 32 per cent more than in earlier years. In A ward and D ward, the cost escalated by over 50 per cent. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has spent hundreds of crores of rupees on desilting of nullahs, underground drains and on the long-running project of widening of nullahs, construction of pumping stations and now holding ponds. But the city cannot withstand a heavy downpour without water pumps.

More pumps needed

The BMC had approved the arrangement of water pumps at 279 various locations across the city on rental basis for the monsoons of 2020 and 2021, at the cost of Rs 66.39 crore. But in 2020, the stormwater drainage department had to for arrange water pumps at an additional 86 points during the monsoon. The number of additional locations for the water pumps requirement increased to 134 in 2021.

Ward wise requirements

As per the original requirement, 20 pumps were provided in A ward and B wards (comprising Nariman Point, Fort and J J hospital) and 19 pumps were provided in C, D and G South wards (Girgaon, Tardeo, Mahalaxmi, Worli, Parel).

In 2020, out of the additional 86 additional pumps, 10 were fitted in A and B wards whereas 17 additional pumps were provided in C, D and G South wards. In 2021, A ward requirement was for additional 13 pumps and C, D and G south ward demanded 20 more pumps. So the cost of the rent of pumps in A ward increased from Rs 4.66 crore to Rs 6.45 crore.

In zone II of C, D and G south ward the cost escalated from Rs 4.12 crore to Rs 7.30 crore, a rise of 77 per cent. An official from stormwater drainage department said, "Waterlogging interrupted traffic movement and it is related to disaster management. So we asked the concerned contractors to provide additional pumps."

Even in L ward, where the maximum complaints of waterlogging are registered every year, 23 water pumps were provided, but the ward demanded 10 additional pumps in 2020 and 13 more pumps in the last monsoon taking the cost from Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.02 crore. H east ward comprising Bandra East demanded 14 additional pumps in 2020 and 18 pumps in 2021 and the cost escalated by more than 50 per cent.

More money spent

The BMC spent Rs 12 crore to pump out water from Bandra, at the junction near MMRDA Gardens and Sion-Dharavi Bridge in H east ward. The BMC had given a contract to provide water pumps to throw water into the Mithi river at the cost of Rs 11.23 crore in 2020 for two years. After that, in 2021, an additional high capacity pump of 1,000 cubic meters per hour was provided at Sion-Dharavi bridge at a rental cost of Rs 99 lakh.