Mumbai rains: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde lauds underground water tank system to prevent flooding in city

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. File Pic

As Mumbai received its first heavy rainfall of the season, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday reviewed the functioning of an underground water tank installed at the Milan subway to prevent flooding and said the system has worked, reported news agency PTI.

Milan subway, Hindmata and a couple of other locations in Mumbai are prone to water-logging during rains every year. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has constructed underground water tanks in these areas to prevent flooding.

Mumbai and its suburbs received heavy rains in the last 24 hours, resulting in water-logging at various places and affecting vehicular movement on some roads, as the monsoon advanced over the city.

Speaking to reporters, CM Eknath Shinde said, "I personally came to review the situation at the Milan subway and the new system has proved that it works. More than 70 mm rainfall was reported in one hour, still the system that we have developed has worked."

"Despite such excessive rain, the Milan subway remained open for vehicular movement. Similar systems are functional in other areas of Mumbai also," he said.

CM Eknath Shinde also ordered the BMC officials to undertake measures to avoid water-logging resulting in disruption of vehicular movement during rains.

In a rare event, the monsoon on Sunday covered both Delhi and Mumbai together.

While it hit the national capital two days earlier than schedule, its entry into Mumbai is two weeks late, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

"It is the first time since June 21, 1961, that the monsoon arrived in Delhi and Mumbai at the same time," DS Pai, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told PTI.

The Colaba observatory here, representative of the island city, recorded 86 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday while the Santacruz weather station, representative of suburbs, registered 176.1 mm rainfall in the same period, as per the IMD.

Mumbai is expected to received more showers during the day, an IMD official said.

Heavy rains affected vehicular movement on some roads in the city. Water-logging in areas like Malad and Andheri slowed down the traffic further.

(With inputs from PTI)