No no-flood guarantee: Civic chief Subodh Kumar

Though the civic body claims it is ready to tackle the monsoon by all means, it has refused to assure Mumbaikars there will be no flooding in the coming months.

“We are prepared to face the monsoon and are taking precautions to ensure there will be no flooding, but nature is not under our control. If the rainfall is beyond manageable limit, the city may have to face flooding,” said civic chief Subodh Kumar.
On Friday, the civic commissioner said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is monsoon-ready, which includes all the departments, including health. “Though nallah cleaning started late due to technical reasons, the speed is good and we will meet the June 10 deadline. We will clean the drains for uninterrupted flow of storm water to avoid flooding in the city,” he said.

But when asked if flooding occurs despite these measures will the BMC take action against its officers, the civic chief said, “The monsoon is a natural phenomenon and no one can beat it. If a natural calamity arrives, no one can stop it, and it cannot be predicted. We can only be prepared to take measures to resolve the situation.”

“We are well-prepared and will do best to reduce inconvenience during or after heavy rainfall,” the commissioner said.
The drainage system, put in place at the beginning of the 20th century,  is capable of handling rain intensity of 25 millimetre per hour. The BMC is upgrading it’s capacity to tackle additional flow of water if the rain intensity increases up to 50mm per hour.