The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will extend steel nets over suburban nullahs across Mumbai by May 2028 at an estimated cost of ₹300 crore, in a bid to stop residents from dumping garbage into storm-water drains.
"The project is expected to cost around Rs 300 crore," Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar told the Free Press Journal, adding that the measure could cut the civic body's desilting expenditure by nearly 50 per cent. A civic official said dumping itself is expected to fall by about half.
From a Bandra pilot to the whole city
The Storm Water Drains department first tried steel nets in December 2023 at nullahs in P&T Colony, Bandra West. After encouraging results, the BMC extended them to other vulnerable stretches near slums and chawls, where officials say the nets have curbed dumping.
Despite annual pre-monsoon desilting, bulky waste — furniture, cupboards, even sofas — continues to be thrown into nullahs, particularly in slum pockets, choking the flow and raising the risk of flooding during heavy rain.
Mumbai has 314 major nullahs stretching over about 300 km, spread across the island city, the eastern and western suburbs and along the Mithi river.
Corporators question desilting claims
The announcement came as corporators at the BMC's Standing Committee meeting questioned the civic body's claims of effective desilting.
Yamini Jadhav (Shiv Sena) flagged incomplete work at the Racecourse nullah, Korba nullah and the Wadala Truck Terminus stretch, alleging that contractors were building ramps for machinery while workers did the actual cleaning by hand. She demanded strict action against negligent contractors.
Harish Bhandirge (BJP) said several nullahs would be found overflowing if inspected the same day, and pointed to waterlogging in parts of the city during Diwali.
