After 23/9 deluge, KMC focus on Bhowanipore-Ballygunge belt
Times of India | 15 October 2025This line is responsible for draining storm water from these areas.
Currently, several neighbourhoods in Ballygunge, Bhowanipore, and the Tiljala-Topsia belt get inundated after a downpour — like the one on Sept 23 — because the sewer line has become heavily silted over the past several years. This siltation has been one of the primary reasons for the low discharge of sewage to the Ballygunge drainage pumping station, which finally pumps out the storm water to the outfall canal to reduce waterlogging in large parts of south Kolkata.
The KMC planning and development department has been assigned to execute the Rs 76 crore project. According to an official, KMC has decided to award the contract to a firm after the festive season is over. "No less than 1.2 lakh residents will benefit during monsoon once the special desilting project is complete," said a KMC official.
Accordingly, the department has planned a desilting drive of the brick sewer line that passes along Ballygunge Park Road and Mullen Street.
The catchment area of the Ballygunge Park Road-Mullen Street sewer is large (1,900 mm-2,200 mm in diameter), which causes a huge quantity of storm water to pass through this sewer, resulting in flooding and waterlogging. However, according to a KMC official, the desilting won't be an easy task as the 2.7km-long sewer line is vulnerable in places due to its age. This will necessitate extreme caution while work is underway.
Besides, the desilting work will need special skills as part of the underground line passes through a military camp located on Ballygunge Circular Road.
According to a KMC official, after drafting a plan for the desilting of the sewer line, the civic authority placed the matter at a meeting of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), seeking funds for flood mitigation in several south Kolkata pockets. A civic official conceded that some parts of Ballygunge and Bhowanipore remained waterlogged for longer hours after the recent deluge because the prime sewer line didn't function effectively.
"We watched helplessly as residents of large parts of Ballygunge, Bhowanipore, and the Topsia-Tiljala area suffered from waterlogging in the recent deluge. Now that we have taken up the special desilting project, we hope to bring relief to the residents in future," a KMC official said.
