Dadar box drain to debut next monsoon

In the wake of persistent waterlogging in areas around Dadar and Parel despite the newly-commissioned Britannia pumping station, the BMC has come up with a new solution to the problem of flooding in this neighbourhood. The civic body has decided to construct a two-kilometre-long underground box drain between Dharavi and Mahim, which will carry water accumulated in low-lying areas of Parel, Hindmata and mainly the Dharavi slums to the Mithi river.

Civic officials attribute the flooding to a combination of factors such as high tide and heavy rainfall at any given time. Flood gates of pumping stations need to be closed during high tide, which prevents water logged in any area from being carried into the sea. The new drain is expected to solve that problem. While the project cannot be expected to alleviate waterlogging problems this monsoon, the project is expected to be partially complete before the next monsoon season.

The project is expected to start only by October this year as the BMC is waiting for the monsoon season to be over. Since it involves construction of an underground box, the civic body will have to dig up portions of major arterial roads in this area. A civic official associated with the project who did not wish to be named said, “We will have to divert traffic from these portions during the construction period. Thus for safety reasons, we have to wait for the monsoon to be over”.

The project will cost BMC '82 crore and take 18 months to complete. Tenders have been floated and applications are already pouring in. After construction starts by October, a portion of the drain will be functional by next monsoon. “We have not determined the water carrying capacity of the drain yet, but its dimensions are 10 feet by 20 feet,” said the civic official.