Mumbai: To prevent waterlogging between the original sea-facing land and the boundary of the Coastal Road under construction, the BMC has directed the contractors to extend the existing stormwater drains (SWDs).
“Six to seven drains/outlets in the stretch of Nepean Sea Road to Worli will be extended to the new coastal road outer boundary to avoid a lake-like accumulation of water during the monsoon when rainwater will drain out to the sea”, an officer from the coastal road department said.
Activists, meanwhile, are complaining that contractors are breaching the court order and carrying out further reclamation. The apex court allowed the BMC to complete the work, which is half-done but the court did not allow further reclamation. The BMC claimed that if the remaining work on the reclaimed land wasn’t completed, it was likely to wash away during monsoon.
However, the BMC said that the dumping of grated stones was the armour lock to prevent washing off of already reclaimed land. “Although it resembles the soil that has been reclaimed, it is actually the armour lock. It is not a breach of the court order, it is the completing of work. If the boundary is not made, the soil will wash away towards the sea face, which can cause flooding. The contractors are working on a war footing to extend the water outlets before the monsoon. The decision has been made after meetings with the SWD department,” the officer added.
