Posted on April 1, 2024
Ahead of monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appointed 31 different agencies at a total cost of Rs 249 crore for carrying out desilting in all the major and minor nullahs in Mumbai, the drains adjoining the two expressways and the Mithi River between April 2024, and March 2025.
The process of desilting refers to the removal of silt, muck and sediments which gets deposited on the beds of nullahs, canals and rivers in the city. These sediments slow down the force of water flowing through water bodies which in turn results in overflowing of water during heavy rain that leads to water-logging in the city.
As a result, the BMC carries out desilting of drains throughout the year to ensure that the water flow stays uninterrupted.
“This year, the tenders were floated in advance to avoid any delays and the agencies have been finalised and work orders have also been issued. The desilting works will be started by April first week so that we can achieve the pre-monsoon target within the end of May,” said an official.
This year, the BMC intends to remove 13.1 crore Metric Tonnes (MT) silt over the next one year, out of which around 10.2 crore MT will be removed by May, 2024, before monsoon this year, while 1.57 lakh MT will be removed during monsoon. The remaining 1.32 lakh MT of silt will be removed between October 2024 and March 2025.
Out of the total number of agencies that have been appointed by BMC, 15 will carry out desilting in western suburbs, 10 in eastern suburbs and three in island city. Alongside this, three agencies have been appointed specifically to desilt the Mithi River.
