Mumbai News

Monsoon in Mumbai may be extreme this year but we are completely prepared: Aaditya Thackeray – Times of India

MUMBAI: Ahead of the monsoon season, Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday said that if the city witnessed over 200mm of rain in a day, any city not just Mumbai would see flash floods.
“Nature’s fury can’t be stopped by anyone. For this we have placed dewatering pumps at various places, pumping stations are being kept ready, trash boom barriers are placed and also other mitigation measures are in place. But yet if an extreme weather event like a cloud burst takes place no one can do anything,” said Thackeray who was at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) office to take stock of the preparedness of the civic works —desilting, tree trimming, road repairs, etc.
Thackeray also said that while the BMC has so far managed to control 90% of the flooding spots that arose last year during rains but a few are yet to be addressed.
“Summers and winters have been extreme this year and it’s likely that monsoons will also be extreme. However, we are completely prepared if anything as such happens and have worked out what should be our response. We want to ensure that the impact because of any extreme weather event is the least and there’s a minimum loss to life and property,” said the minister.
Over the ongoing desilting works, Thackeray said while the BMC has completed 78% of culvert cleaning works, if one goes tomorrow they will find floating debris because someone or another is putting garbage into it every day.
In wake of the two landslide disasters at Vikrohli & Mahul last year which killed 29 people, he said Rs 62 crore funds have been rolled out for MLA’s irrespective of the party for constructing retaining walls.
“However, retaining walls may not be an answer but the road ahead is how to bring those living in informal homes into formal housing. We are working on creating 30,000 houses for PAPs in the coming years,” he said.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/monsoon-in-mumbai-may-be-extreme-this-year-but-we-are-completely-prepared-aaditya-thackeray/articleshow/91660672.cms