3 min readApr 4, 2026 06:52 PM ISTThe entire 18-km stretch of the Mithi river is being divided into three stretches or packages. (Express photos by Akash patil)As the annual desilting of Mumbai’s Mithi River commenced at a full swing, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed the contractors that targeted approach should be made in all the low-lying embankments adjoining the river to mitigate flooding. The move comes following an inspection of the ongoing desilting works that were carried out by Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar.This year, the civic body had floated a Rs 28-crore tender to desilt the river.Only two bidders expressed interest to desilt Mithi, after the tender failed to draw response from firms despite two extensions.Last year, the annual desilting of Mithi river during the monsoon got stalled after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated an investigation probing into an alleged Rs 1,100-crore scam pertaining to the desilting of the river.As a result, the water rose to a level of 3.9 meters almost nearing the danger mark of 4.2 meters during heavy rainfall day in August leading to waterlogging in adjoining areas.“This year our focus is not only to finish the desilting work in time but also to ensure that the embankments are cleared off from silts that will prevent swelling up of the river during the monsoon. We have set a 31 per cent target to complete our pre-monsoon desilting work this year,” an official said.The entire 18-km stretch of the Mithi river is being divided into three stretches or packages. The first package comprises the longest stretch of 11.8 km between Vihar Lake Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), from where the river originates, to Teacher’s Colony (Bandra East) covering the Vakola and Kalina areas which are low-lying in nature.Story continues below this adThe second stretch of 1.3 km largely covers the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) area. While the final stretch covers a length of 4.7 km covering the Dharavi and Mahim areas before it falls into the Arabian Sea.“At the BKC area which falls in the second stretch, the river bed gets wide enough to allow a smooth flow of water in the case of heavy rains. In the third stretch, which is near the Mahim area there is a dense Mangrove cover that acts as a buffer against flooding and waterlogging. Also, this area has a wider outfall so clearly we have a natural geographical advantage. Therefore, completion of desilting on time will help in controlling flooding measures by significant extent,” the official added.Mumbai has a vast network of nullahs, with 261.52 km of major nullahs (over 1.5 metres wide) and 411.56 km of minor nullahs (less than 1.5 metres wide), along with other types of drains like arch and roadside drains. The overall network of drains in Mumbai stands at nearly 3,800 km.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC