Will Mumbai Metro stretch become a mosquito breeding ground?

Improper drainage system is likely to make of Mumbai Metro, the city's latest talking point, a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Rain water as well as water discharged by the trains' air-conditioning system is getting accumulated on the tracks along the 11.4km stretch between Versova and Ghatkopar, and this water is a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes.

All along the corridor, the improper drainage system has resulted in water getting accumulated not only on the tracks at stations but in between the stations as well.

When the Metro construction work, which had begun in 2008, was going on, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had ensured that mosquitoes do not cause problems to residents along the corridor. But now with rains having begun, water accumulation has become a norm along the Versova-Ghatkopar corridor.

According to officials in the civic body, if there is water stagnation on seven consecutive days, it can trigger mosquito breeding. The water that accumulated in the last two days of rain has not been drained out.

When the problem was brought to the notice of Abhay Kumar Mishra, chief executive officer, Mumbai Metro, he said: "There is a thin film of water, which isn't sufficient to breed mosquitoes. Our drainage systems are adequate and there will not be any problem like water accumulation," said Mishra.

Medical professionals however maintain that even a thin film of water is enough for mosquitoes to lay eggs and begin the breeding process.