Delayed rains worry govt as polls near

HALF-WAY through June, the state looks skyward in despair. With assembly polls around the corner, a delayed monsoon is the last thing the government wants to deal with.
    Under normal circumstances, the monsoon should have hit Mumbai by June 10 and Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh by June 15. But the weather bureau says there will be no rains for the next three to four days.
    The sowing season and the state's economy are likely to take a huge hit. The monsoon's late arrival is bound to delay the sowing of crops like soybean, peanuts and cotton. State officials recall how a similar delay last year lowered cane yields in the state, leading to halving of the sugar output. Nearly two-thirds the state sugar cooperatives have failed to reopen this year, thanks to the paucity of the sugarcane.
    Last year's delay also hit Madhya Pradesh, the biggest producer of soybean, besides Andhra Pradesh — the second-largest producer of rice and peanuts. Gujarat, the largest grower of peanuts and cotton, too bore the brunt of an erratic monsoon.
    Mumbai too, is sweating it out this season, in addition to facing a water shortage. Of the six reservoirs in and around the city, water levels at Vihar and Upper Vaitarna have dipped below their lowest useable levels. Tansa too will soon face the same situation if the rains are delayed further. Water levels in the other three reservoirs have been receding fast as they are being used to meet additional demand.
    Last week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced a 5% water cut as a precautionary measure. Only a month ago, the initial progress of the rains had the set a very different mood for the state. As against its usual arrival date of June 1, the monsoon was expected early this year — around May 23 — triggering hopes of a respite from the sweltering heat.
    As indicated initially, it soon reached the Konkan coast, but Cyclone Aila, which which struck parts of Orissa and West Bengal on May 25, halted its progress. The cyclone took over 200 lives besides sucking up moisture from the monsoon system, weakening its progress. This resulted in the annual seasonal rains not moving any further despite reaching Ratnagiri on the western coast and Paradip on the eastern coast by June 7.
Rains likely
by June 20
MUMBAI: The annual monsoon rains are seen reviving around June 20, India Meteorological Department said on its website late Monday evening. The department also said the southwest monsoon will not advance further during the next three days. — Reuters

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The Met department has proclaimed the monsoon is set to kick off

RAIN CHECK

 BMC's asked Mumbaikars to brace themselves for heavy rains on June 22-27, July 21-26, August 19-23 and September 18-21. But while citizens may be geared up for the downpour, Mumbai Mirror checks if the essentials are in place to ensure a flood-free monsoon...

NULLAH CLEANING
Silt formation and dumping of waste in the nullahs is a key factor leading to flooding in the critical low-lying areas as it obstructs the flow of water.According to the data provided by the BMC, 92 per cent of nullah desilting has been completed. In the report, the BMC has cited over 15 contractors who failed to show satisfactory progress on the cleaning, but maintained that after imposing a fine, they noticed improvement in their work.
    Additionally, the Irla and Haji Ali pumping stations will be functional this monsoon.

FILLING OF POTHOLES, TRENCHES
This year, the BMC has tried to strengthen pothole-prone roads well in advance. It has devised an innovative plan to keep roads pothole-free this season: engineers of wards with no potholes will receive added incentives, while those whose wards have the most potholes will get none.
    The civic body has also issued notices to private utility agencies that had dug up roads, warning them to refill the trenches before the rains or face police action.

PRECAUTIONS FOR HIGH TIDE
To prepare for days like July 22 – when the city is expected to see the highest tide in 100 years – the BMC has sought help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which will send 700 men to assist the city in emergencies; to ensure timely rescues, small teams will be housed in five municipal schools that will act as shelter houses in every ward.Also, 211 pumps have been installed to draw flood waters in low-lying areas. Safety walls have been constructed at landslideprone areas as a precautionary measure.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
The civic disaster management unit is fully geared up for the rains. Besides setting up 11 emergency helplines, the unit will function as a coordinating body between the BMC, police, hospitals, fire brigade, railways and BEST.The unit will provide 24-hour service, recording incidents and relaying information about flood-hit areas every hour to the Railways and traffic department.
    Moreover, Rs 1 lakh has been allotted to every ward officer for emergencies, so they don't have to wait for administrative sanctions.

TRAINING FIRE BRIGADE
The fire brigade has set up six commanding centres, which will perform rescue operations and will provide rescue equipment to the NDRF.The BMC has trained 72 people, including firemen, to swim in strong currents.

HEALTH PROVISIONS
The civic authorit has stocked medication worth Rs 4.5 crore to treat monsoon-related diseases. In addition, 1,289 beds have been reserved in all municipal hospitals, and the BMC-run Kasturba Hospital has been solely reserved for monsoon-related illnesses. A team from the pest control department has been trained for the malaria prevention drive. Members will fumigate sites known to breed malaria mosquitoes when the rains become irregular, such as construction sites.

IMPROVING WATER SUPPLY
The task of replacing old pipelines with new ones with an internal lining to prevent leakages has been partially completed.The remaining work has been stopped so that trenches can be refilled and roads levelled.At places where trenches can't be shut, the BMC has put up barricades or instructed contractors to ensure adequate cover to the pipelines to prevent choking and flooding. No new work will be undertaken and priority will be given to wrap up the existing work.

USING RAIN GAUGES, FLOW METERS
The BMC has acquired rain gauges to record rainfall and flow meter gauges to assess the speed of flowing water from elevated or hilly areas.The rain gauges have been set up at 35 places in the city, and will help the BMC decide on measures it should employ to prevent flooding.The data will be handled by the disaster management control room, which will keep an hourly record of flood levels, the opening and closing of flood gates, and will communicate this information to CR and WR.

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