Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) Mumbai will soon have a new drainage master plan to manage rains in excess of 100 millimetres per hour, Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar said on Thursday.
Shelar, speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting on flood situations and drainage measures. also said four new pumping stations will be built in the metropolis.
“Mumbai’s current stormwater drainage system is designed to handle rainfall of up to 55 mm per hour. In light of increasingly intense rain events, a new, separate master plan must be created to handle rainfall exceeding 100 mm per hour. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs will provide additional funds to support this initiative,” Shelar told reporters here.
In 2017, Mumbai experienced 26 days of heavy rainfall, and in 2024, it was 21 days.
As per BMC studies, the city receives heavy rainfall averaging 16 to 20 days annually, with more than 100 mm of rain falling in an hour during some of these days.
From 2014 to 2019, rainfall peaked at 131 mm/hour, and on May 19, it reached 182 mm/hour. On July 26, 2005, the city received nearly 1,000 mm of rainfall in 16 hours ‘ averaging 139 mm/hour, which, combined with a high tide, led to severe flooding.
In recent times too, rainfall exceeding 100 mm in an hour has become a frequent occurrence. When such heavy rain coincides with high tide, proper drainage becomes impossible, forcing Mumbai to face flood-like situations.
“Before the July 26, 2005 deluge, Mumbai’s stormwater drains had a capacity of 25 mm/hour. Following the Chitale Committee’s recommendations, this was upgraded to 55 mm/hour. However, with rainfall now frequently exceeding 100 mm/hour, further capacity enhancement is essential,” he said.
“The BMC plans to construct four new pumping stations. Currently, there are nine small pumping stations in Mumbai. Two more are to be set up at Maharashtra Nagar and Dharavi T-Junction. There are six large pumping stations and two additional ones will be constructed at Mogra and Mahul. These new stations will help drain water from flood-prone areas such as Kurla and Andheri,” he said.
The National Disaster Management Authority has acknowledged the recurring flood crisis in Mumbai, Shelar said, adding that in the first phase, Rs 500 crore has been allocated by the Union government to the BMC to implement immediate flood-mitigation measures.
The NDMA has also instructed the BMC to prepare a detailed action plan based on real-time assessments of the city’s flood-prone areas. The draft plan prepared by the BMC is currently under review by an expert panel from IIT, he said.
Flood-prone areas are being identified where advanced drainage infrastructure will be developed to handle more than 100 mm of rainfall per hour, the minister said.
A detailed report will be prepared with assistance from IIT, and the preliminary estimate for this project is around Rs 5,000 crore, and NDMA is expected to provide substantial portion of this funding to implement this critical infrastructure upgrade, Shelar added.
During his visit to Japan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced plans to adopt drainage technologies of that nation for Mumbai.
“Taking this into account, the BMC is integrating such innovations into the new master plan. Officials have been instructed to prepare this comprehensive plan in coordination with Railways, Metro Rail and MMRDA. The final report must be completed within the next one month,” Shelar said. PTI MR BNM
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