17 years and Rs 1,150 crore later, work on Mithi River Project still incomplete

The BMC carries out cleaning of Mithi river before the onset of monsoon in April 2020. File pic

The Mithi River project, which includes widening of the river and building security wall and service road, is still incomplete even after spending Rs 1,150 crore over the past 17 years. As per the civic annual budget for 2022-23, work worth Rs 4,033 crore is still pending and Rs 565 crore has been allotted to the project for the year.

The issue of Mithi river, which flows from Vihar lake to Mahim, came into light after the devastating 2005 floods in the city. After this the MMRDA and BMC took up a project to widen the river. So far, MMRDA has awarded contracts worth Rs 504 crore while the BMC has spent Rs 646 crore, as per information received by RTI activist Anil Galgali.

Work so far

The MMRDA said it has undertaken deepening and widening work, rock excavation, retaining wall, construction of service road and beautification of a 6-km stretch between Mahim Causeway and CST Bridge and a 1.8-km stretch between Vakola Nala and Hans Bhugra Bridge. Of the 4.37 km of service road that falls under MMRDA limits, 3.19 kms have been completed and of the 8.51 kms of protection wall, 7.77 km has been completed, said Galgali. Meanwhile, the BMC has completed only 3.2 km of the total 12.5 km of service road. Even 4 km of the 21-km protection wall is also incomplete. Galgali said that the MMRDA and BMC have failed to complete the project and added that there should be an audit of the work done.

This year, in addition to widening and construction of security walls, the BMC installed 11 gates and 19 submersible dewatering pumps at six locations in Kalanagar to avoid flood. Construction of RCC chambers for providing flood gates at the outfall of Mithi River at Santacruz East and the outfall of Vakola River at Kalina is completed. The BMC will also carry out desilting of the river and install trash booms to collect, remove and dispose of floating material from the river.

Future work

In the 2022-23 budget, BMC Commissioner I S Chahal mentioned that 95 per cent of widening and deepening work and 80 per cent of retaining wall construction have been completed. He added that a plan for development and pollution control of Mithi has been prepared which will be implemented in four phases and the work for the first two phases are ongoing.

Phase-I works include construction of interceptors, laying of sewer lines, construction of service road and construction of 8 MLD capacity sewage treatment plant, amounting to Rs 133 crore including operation and maintenance for 15 years, from Filterpada to WSP Compound, Powai. As part of Phase-II, work to construct retaining wall, service road, interceptor and laying sewer line from WSP Compound, Powai to CST Road, Kurla will be taken up at a cost of Rs 570 crore.

Phase-III includes construction of retaining wall and service road, laying of sewer line and construction of interceptors with gate pumps, beautification including construction of promenades and allied works from CST Road, Kurla to Mahim Causeway at an estimated cost of Rs 2,156 crore. The tender invitation process is in progress. Finally, Phase-IV work will include construction of a tunnel from Bapat nalla to Safed Pool nalla to Dharavi waste water treatment facility for Rs 455 crore.

Rs 646 cr
Money spent by the BMC on the project so far