Mumbai to Get 4 Emergency Drain-Clearing Vehicles Ahead of Monsoon

Mumbai to Get 4 Emergency Drain-Clearing Vehicles Ahead of Monsoon

Mumbai: As the city braces for another monsoon season, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is taking proactive measures to combat waterlogging and flooding with the purchase of four new emergency flood rescue trucks. Each truck, costing INR 2.19 crore, is designed to quickly clear water from flood-affected areas and clean drains during the dry season.

Scheduled to be deployed before the monsoon of 2025, these trucks will be stationed strategically across Mumbai, with two vehicles assigned to the island city and the other two placed in the eastern and western suburbs. Equipped with advanced suction and jetting machines, dewatering pumps, and pipes, these vehicles are specifically built to tackle waterlogging by swiftly removing excess water from flooded areas. Unlike older machines that require towing, the new trucks will have their equipment mounted on board, and their engines will power the pumps, allowing for faster and more efficient flood response. The vehicles will also be used for drain cleaning during the dry months, ensuring maintenance and prevention of blockages.

The BMC has already placed orders for the trucks and additional machines that can recycle silt-mixed water removed from drains. This investment is part of a larger budget allocation of INR 2,200 crore in the 2025-26 budget, which is aimed at improving stormwater drain management across Mumbai. The BMC has made significant progress in addressing flood-prone areas, having resolved 369 out of 453 identified flooding spots. The goal is to tackle the remaining 55 spots before the start of the 2025 monsoon, ensuring that Mumbai is better prepared to handle heavy rainfall and waterlogging.