Mumbai: Coastal Road drain work sped up, say Officials

The choked gates in 2022

Following a flood in SoBo last monsoon that affected locals and road traffic, the work towards increasing the capacity of 16 drainage lines under the Coastal Road has been fast-tracked. This capacity will be twice that of the earlier drains, and finished before the coming monsoon.

The Marine Drive area was flooded on July 27, 2023, owing to ongoing Coastal Road work. Though the BMC stated small rocks were stuck in the rainwater outfall and the site was beyond the construction boundary, the Brihanmumbai Stormwater Disposal System surveyed the stretch a week later and advised installing at least 25 high-capacity pumps along the road. This will reduce the risk of flooding during heavy showers, as the work of widening storm water drains is still underway.

Previously, the BRIMSTOWAD report recommended a drainage size that could tackle 50 mm rainfall per hour. However, the coastal road team planned to increase the size of the drains, enabling them to deal with 93 mm of rainfall per hour. Additionally, box drains will have floodgates to restrict the flow of seawater into the city during high tide. "We installed six gates already. The fabrication and testing of the remaining 10 gates is completed. Pending work will be completed before April 2024," said an official attached to the coastal road project.