Mumbai: Micro-tunnels at Dadar close to completion

Waterlogging at Hindmata, Dadar, after heavy rain in July. File pic/Ashish Raje

This year, the BMC has planned to build holding tanks to collect the receding floodwater in the areas prone to waterlogging. The first project is underway at Hindmata, which gets flooded every year even after a normal rainfall. The BMC is close to completing the work of laying micro-tunnels under the rail lines of both Central Railway and Western Railway.

The floodwater at Hindmata will be drained out through these tunnels and will be collected in a holding tank, being constructed at Pramod Mahajan Kala Udyan in Dadar West.

"The railways and the BMC had a joint meeting in February 2021 and it was decided to proceed with the work. Floodwater will flow from the east side, passing through the tunnels under the two railway lines, into the tank on the west side. The collected floodwater will be later released into the sea. We have given the requisite permissions," a CR spokesperson said.

A bus moves through a waterlogged street at Hindmata in July 2020. File pic

Micro-tunnels, which are basically huge pipelines, are being built at major flooding locations. Last year, it was laid from Kurla to Vidyavihar and Tilaknagar to Chunabhatti stations. This year, the longest routes are being covered at Sandhurst Road station. The 400-m tunnelling will take water from west to east across the Wadibunder yard. Besides, work is also on at Wadala on the harbour line.

At Wadala, the downstream connectivity will be done by the MCGM. The railways will handle the micro-tunnelling work at Sandhurst Road, while the last 35-meter work at P D'Mello road will be done by the civic body.

CR has identified locations along the line where drainage problems lead to waterlogging of tracks during monsoon. Meanwhile, the city's CR line will get 150 water pumps this year and 1,000 trees will be trimmed.