Monsoon has arrived but it has exposed the authorities and government with its first mild heavy pouring. Massive traffic jams were witnessed across the city, especially in areas that were badly flooded including Dadar, Parel, Sion, Andheri, Jogeshwari and Santa Cruz. Residents complained that brand new water pumping stations on which the civic body has already spent 200 crores failed to work after being damaged by rocks. Mumbai has once again stuck in water.
The city recorded the season’s highest tide so far, with waves reaching a maximum height of 5.02 m at around 1 pm on Sunday. Adjoining areas, especially Palghar district, were also inundated with rainwater and recorded a higher percentage of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Every year, there is at least one picture of a BMC worker who is working towards clearing the choked drainage, the silent messages depicted in pictures but what is the point in it? Every year government is preparing budgets for drainage and those people are doing their jobs. The ever-procrastinating people, who are not answerable to anybody, waste much of government funds. Just one or two rains hit Mumbai, but look at the conditions around, railway station escalators are not protected against weather, there are water logging everywhere on the stations to metro and skywalk, tiles are broken and holes everywhere. Of course, there are attempts being made to ‘advance’ the facilities to passengers by installing escalators worth nearly Rs. 80 lakhs per set, which can speed up enough to cope with the rising demand of hurry for citizens. Ideally, the escalators are powerful enough and require more electricity than an elevator, depending on the number of people who join in. So what next? Fair of railway tickets too has gone up, again that is the price we all are willing to pay for the facilities given in return.
Before the arrival of monsoon in the city, the opposition always disputes with ruling party, then BJP used to attack now it’s the turn of Congress and NCP, leaving these political parties aside the civic body’s claim that most of the city nullahs have been cleaned. But if you visit Borivali nullah near national park to Andheri most of them are filthy, over flown with plastic covers and all sort of garbage. The work at the Dahisar River nullah is yet to be completed. At many nullahs the parapet walls have not been built. The nullahs of Dahisar River, Chandavarkar nullah did not have proper parapet wall causing flooding during heavy rains. Lack of funds is one of the reasons that parapet walls have not been built at some nullahs. The NL Complex nullah which starts from Dahisar east near Sanjay Gandhi National Park and flows into the Mira Bhayander creek is yet to be cleaned properly. In case of high tide, there are chances that water might go backwards and flood some areas, instead of flowing into the sea. This is the main cause for water borne diseases. People suffer with different kind of strange viral infections.
Seashores are dirty, waste is dumped on beaches. Lakes are stinking. Since a large number of Mumbaiites are used to urinating, spitting and defecating in public places, rains promptly absolve us of the guilt of our reckless conduct. In this way, we can continue to blame the authorities for not making our areas hygienic and mosquito free whilst assuring ourselves unrestricted use of the freedom we won so dearly. Common public and BMC both blame each other but main issues get sidelined, above all, politics kills the substance of the purpose. I have been witnessing Mumbai rains since my birth, but every year issues remain unresolved.
Various desilting works across major and minor nullahs were still incomplete; BMC officers revisited these nullahs and promised to desilt them thoroughly. The officials said that despite cleaning nullahs, sometimes appeared clogged due to excessive dumping of garbage by slum dwellers living along the edges of those. According to various reports nullah at Antop Hill, Islampura nullah at Chembur, Mankhurd station nullah, Dahanukarwadi nullah at Poisar and nullahs at the Gorai creek were clogged. BMC revisited these nullahs and cleaned them. The Mankhurd station nullah has not been cleaned. The banks of the Islampura nullah that was partially cleaned were dumped with the removed silt. However, on June 7, the silt from the banks was transported, according to BMC officials. Officials also admitted that the upstream nullahs of Gorai creek were still being desilted and the work will be completed within two days. The CEM India nullah is an untrained pond-like nullah that overflows and floods the nearby central government quarters annually during monsoons. BMC assured that the work on cleaning the nullah has started and BMC workers will remove the floating material regularly.
At the Poisar River nullah in Kandivali West, a bridge above the nullah was broken but a new one has not been constructed yet. The bridge which is proposed to be 6 foot long will be built by next monsoon. At Iraniwadi in Kandivali West, although the Poisar River nullah has been cleaned once, the foot over bridge built over the nullah has been broken and the silt has not yet been picked up. If we look at other side, nature always has something to give.
There is no other season or weather that can fill one with as deep and different emotions as the rains. But every season the stories are same just the rulers may change. You voted for this government with great faith, hope they live up to your expectations.
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