Civic body releases list of 21 days between June 13 and September 12 when the Arabian Sea high tide will cross 4.5 metres; August 12 is set to be highest at 4.97 m
While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started unclogging drains in the city ahead of the monsoons, flooding due to heavy rainfall in the city is a problem that is almost impossible to avoid.
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This was the scene at Marine Drive on July 24 last year, when a 4.95-metre high wave lashed the coast. Pic/Bipin Kokate
The civic body has, however, decided to take precautions by issuing warnings about days with a particularly high tide during the monsoons. A circular highlighting 21 days between June 13 and September 12 has been sent to all ward offices so that they can take the precautionary measures.
In the shortlisted days, waves during the high tide will cross a height of 4.5 metres. 10 of these days may also see the waves attaining heights of over 4.8 meters. If these days clash with heavy rainfall, it will pose a serious threat to the island city.
The city’s storm-water drainage system is capable of carrying only 25 mm of water per hour. With only three ways out to the sea equipped with floodgates, the remaining 102 open directly to the sea, which allows seawater to enter the drainage system during high tides. This affects many low lying areas like Hindmata, Parel, Nana Chowk, Matunga, Milan Subway and Andheri Subway.
Mahesh Narvekar, head of BMC’s Disaster Management Cell, said, “We’ve had a meeting in the last week of March about precautionary measures to take during monsoons, and another meeting will be held in the first week of May. We are also planning to send a letter to all schools, colleges and offices like Mantralaya, private organisations and banks.”
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