04 January,2016 02:25 PM IST | | Tanvi Deshpande
BMC hopes Hindmata will not get waterlogged this year, as the Britannia storm water pumping station is nearly ready
The Hindmata area may not get flooded this monsoon, as work on the Britannia storm water pumping station at Reay Road could be completed by then. Almost 80 per cent of the work is done and the rest will be completed by April, following which there will be trials in May, officials claimed.
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This was the scene last year at Hindmata, an area that witnesses severe water logging, as it is not serviced by a pumping station. File pic
The BMC is positive that they will be able to commission this pumping station in the coming monsoon and use it to prevent flooding in Hindmata.
The Hindmata area sees the most water logging in the island city, and remains inundated to some extent in the monsoon, as the existing pumping stations don't cater to it. The Britannia pumping station, situated on Reay Road, could make a difference here, but it was not functional last monsoon.
"We have completed about 80 per cent of the work at Britannia, while Gazderbund has a deadline of December. Britannia will definitely be commissioned this monsoon, and we are also checking if we can commission the pumps at Gazderbund as well," said Laxman Vhatkar, chief engineer, storm water drains, BMC. Gazderbund pumping station, which will prevent flooding in the Western suburbs, is at Khar.
The Rs 100-crore Britannia pumping station will have six pumps running on three diesel generators. Each pump will have the capacity to pump 500 litres of water per second. While the pumps are being brought from Korea, the generator sets are from England. The total cost of the pumping station includes a 7-year maintenance contract, as the contractor's men will work in three shifts at the site.
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"The pumps are ready and our officers will inspect them on site. They will be installed by March, along with other equipment. Then trials will be undertaken at high tide in May to make sure all of them are working fine," Vhatkar said.
Britannia will help prevent water logging in Kalachowki, Lalbaug, Rani Baug, Reay Road, Cotton Green, Dockyard Road, Parel and Hindmata.
