Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 13: Even as the monsoon clouds gather over Mumbai, the critical desilting work of the Mithi River has been crawling at an alarmingly slow pace. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which had set an ambitious target of 85 per cent completion before the onset of heavy rains, has managed to achieve just 63.83 per cent of the task so far. This marks a marginal rise from last week’s 61 per cent, raising concerns about the city's preparedness to tackle potential flooding.

The figures lay bare the stark reality: out of the planned 214,315.49 metric tonnes of silt to be extracted from the Mithi River, only 136,798.05 metric tonnes have been cleared. This shortfall becomes more worrisome with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rains for the city until June 16.

Adding to the woes is the sluggish pace of desilting of minor nullahs, which play a vital role in stormwater drainage across Mumbai. The work here has barely moved forward — from 71 per cent to 75 per cent — with 301,132.92 metric tonnes of silt removed against the targeted 396,495.70 metric tonnes.

In a recent review meeting chaired by Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, the Storm Water Drains (SWD) Department stressed the enormity of the task ahead. Officials revealed that due to the sheer density of the silt in Mithi, an astonishing 124 truckloads account for just one per cent of the total work.

To expedite the sluggish progress, the civic body has now roped in two additional contractors. However, with time running out and the monsoon knocking at the city’s doorstep, questions are being raised over the BMC’s ability to avert a repeat of past monsoon miseries.

As the rain threat intensifies and pressure mounts on the civic authorities, Mumbai watches with bated breath, hoping that its fragile stormwater infrastructure holds firm in the days to come.