BMC to install 28 floodgates at Mithi River to prevent flooding during monsoon

Mumbai: In order to abate flooding due to overflowing water from the Mithi River during monsoon every year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to install 28 floodgates in the river. The 17.8km long Mithi River originates from the Vihar Lake in Borivli and flows into the Arabian Sea from the Mahim Creek. Every year during monsoon, the water level in the river overflows which results in severe flooding in the low-lying areas like Sion, Chunabhatti, Kurla and Ghatkopar. Since the past five years, flooding during monsoon has become a regular phenomenon in these areas, which has also led to disruption of railway movement.

Senior officials said that the primary idea behind installing these floodgates will be to prevent the overflowing water from entering the residential areas and railway tracks. Civic officials said that these floodgates will be installed at the tidal zones starting from Mahim Creek and would go 8 kilometres deep inside suburban Mumbai from the creek. P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (Projects) said that the gates will open and close vertically unlike the conventional floodgates that usually operate in a horizontal axis.

“Mithi River is narrow and we don’t have adequate space to set up horizontal floodgates with conventional pumping stations. Therefore, we have decided to set up vertical gates that will use less space and serve the purpose,” said Velrasu.

“During the high tide in monsoon, these gates will be deployed so that the excessive water and nullah water could be pumped out. Installation of these floodgates will act as a damage control for flooding during monsoon,” Velarasu added. He said that three international firms from Japan, South Korea and Germany have shown their interest for setting up and maintenance of these gates and have already given their presentation on this project to the BMC demonstrating the technicalities.

Velrasu, however, maintained that the final appointment of the contractors will be done through proper tendering and the tenders for this project will be floated in the next 15 days. The BMC has estimated a budget of ₹1,600 crore for this project and has set a three-year long deadline for this project. “One of the primary challenges of this project is that there are slums along the bank of the river. We will have to arrange rehabilitation for them which is why the timeline for the completion of this project is a bit longer,” he said.

Before monsoon 2021, the BMC had installed two floodgates at the junction near the Mumbai International Airport from where Mithi River flows. This came after airline operations were stalled severely during monsoon due to water entering the runway. The BMC had spent ₹1.50 crore for setting up and maintenance of these floodgates.