DNA RAIN CHECK: Island didn't become a lake

Last week's downpour was received with familiar scowls as well as relieved sighs in the island city, which was submerged in parts and motorable in others.

In its pre-monsoon month-long Rain Check campaign, DNA had chosen some spots to audit the works the BMC had done to secure the city against heavy rains. The spots that reported potholes and seasonal waterlogging were Sankli Street near Madanpura; Shivdas Chapsi and Jinabhai Rathod Marg in Mazgaon; and the stretch from Tardeo Road up to Nana Chowk. Some residents also spoke of problems that arise when rainwater resides.

"The administration may have done some work but it did not make any difference here," said Shahzama Khan, a resident of 3rd Sankli Street. "The flooding was as it used to be. We still had knee-deep water. The pipelines that they laid seemed to have made no difference in this low-lying area. The pumps may have thrown the water back during high tide."

But the BMC did manage to curb the flooding in Mazgaon, which would see waist-high water. "There was no flooding at all this year here. Last year, there was knee-deep water on Shivdas Chapsi Marg and waist-deep water on Jinabai Rathod Marg," said Kamlakar Shenoy, who lives off Chapsi Marg and takes the route to work.

The road condition, though, leaves much to be desired. "They just fixed the road and it is showing signs of potholes. They do not seem to be filling tar in the joints so the road does not last."

He also said the job done on smoothing out speed breakers with paver blocks was shoddy.

Nitin Aarte, assistant municipal commissioner of E Ward, where these localities fall, said, "Water receded from Sankli street faster this year. Since this was the first rain, there were some problems. If it rains again, there will not be any flooding. With respect to roads, there aren't any potholes and there won't be."

At Tardeo Road-Nana Chowk patch, though the roads are not pockmarked, commuters said odd patches and uneven joints make the drive bumpy. Dr Nilesh Baxi, who lives in the locality and runs a clinic here, said, "They have not completed the roadworks they promised they would. Potholes exist at some places, and the roads are wavy throughout, which is a problem. The way they have done levelling work around the drains is also shabby. Cars bump when they pass by."

V Mote, assistant municipal commissioner, D Ward under whose jurisdiction the Tardeo stretch comes, said: "Tardeo Road from Haji Ali to Nana Chowk is under improvement. Generally we stop the work during this season after making roads motorable. The unimproved stretch is again taken up after the monsoon, in October."

INCHING HIGHER

RAINFALL SINCE JULY 1

1,404.5 mm
Colaba

1,669 mm
SantaCruz

MAJOR WATERLOGGING SPOTS

Gandhi Market, Sion Road #24, Hindmata, Antop Hill, NM Joshi Marg (Gawde Chowk, Lower Parel station), RA Kidwai Marg, Wadala, Fitwala Road, Dadar Workshop, Bail Bazar in Kurla, Srirang Sable Marg in Goregaon, Bandra Talkies, SV Road, Milan Subway, Jay Bhawani Society, Khar West

MISHAPS

House or wall collapse: 240 

Tree/branch fall: 1004, 19 injured and 6 dead

Short circuit: 493 incidents; 1 injured, 3 dead

Landslide: 4

Drowning: 30 incidents, 31 dead

Total no. of civic officials on ground: 6,500

POTHOLES

Trains late: Countless

Trains cancelled since July 9: 650

Average flight delay: Monday and Tuesday : 15 to 30 minutes 

AILMENTS

In the month of June BMC screened 10 cases of fever in the areas where leptospirosis cases and death had occurred. Besides five cases of  Leptospirosis nd two deaths, cases of other waterborne diseases have too started increasing.

The BMC has registered 779 gastro cases, 356 malaria, 94 hepatitis, and 21 dengue cases in the month of June.