Mumbai: After Bombay High Court pulled up BMC-run KEM hospital in Parel for water logging in its pediatrics section, the hospital administration for the first time has deployed workers for anti-flooding measures.

Anti-Flooding Workers Deployed Since Mid-June

“The deployment of works started from mid-June. Per shift five workers are on anti-flooding duty. While storm water drains department has also two dewatering pumps. In total six pumps are installed,” an official from KEM hospital told the FPJ.

May 26 Rainfall Caused Paediatric Waiting Area Flooding

Due heavy downpour on May 26, the waiting area of the hospital’s paediatric department witnessed waterlogging, risking the patients treatment and their family members too who were seen waiting in the corridor with ankle-deep water.

However, the hospital administration claimed that it was ‘water accumulation’ and not water logging. Fortunately, the department’s services were not majorly affected.

Following this incident, the Bombay High Court expressed serious concern and directed the BMC to urgently inspect the hospital and suggest remedial measures. The court heard the matter following media reports highlighting patients sitting in ankle-deep water inside the hospital premises.

HC Expressed Serious Concern Over Hygiene

“This is a hospital. There has to be hygiene. Management cannot allow this to happen inside hospital premises. This cannot become a recurring situation. KEM was once among the top hospitals in India,” the court observed.

Labourers Hired for Daily Drain Cleaning

“There are rare incidents when water accumulate in the hospital premises. The city experience very heavy rainfall on May 26, quite early the usual arrival of monsoon. However, we have implemented anti-flooding measures to ensure such incidents is not repeated. The labourers are hired on monthly basis and deployed to clean drains everyday. The dewatering pumps are installed near by the pediatrics department specially.

An intensive investigation involving scrutiny of over 60 CCTV cameras and technical surveillance led the Crime Detection Team of CBD Police Station to bust a widespread auto-rickshaw theft racket in Navi Mumbai. Two habitual offenders were arrested, and 12 stolen Bajaj auto-rickshaws valued at approximately Rs 24 lakh were recovered from various districts across Maharashtra.

The case began after a complaint was filed at CBD Police Station on May 28 regarding the theft of an auto-rickshaw bearing registration number MH-46-BD-9956 from Sector 11, CBD Belapur. Following the complaint, the police team launched an exhaustive technical investigation, combing through more than 60 CCTV camera footages and other forensic leads, which eventually pointed to two suspects.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Nazimoddin Azimoddin Qazi (43), a resident of Partur in Jalna, and Sakib Shamsu Shaikh (24), originally from Jalna but currently living in Taloja Phase-2, Panvel. Qazi was tracked to his hometown in Jalna and arrested on July 12.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to stealing 12 auto-rickshaws from various parts of Navi Mumbai, including CBD, Kharghar, Kalamboli, and Panvel. They revealed that the stolen vehicles were transported and concealed in locations such as Jalna, Hingoli, Parbhani, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts. In an attempt to evade identification, the accused had tampered with engine and chassis numbers, but police investigators were able to recover and identify all 12 vehicles using advanced forensic and technical methods.

The stolen vehicles, all Bajaj auto-rickshaws were seized from multiple locations. Each vehicle is estimated to be worth Rs 2 lakh, taking the total recovery to approximately Rs 24 lakh.

The thefts have been linked to multiple police stations across Navi Mumbai. “Three cases were registered at CBD Police Station, four at Kharghar Police Station, four at Kalamboli Police Station, and one at Panvel City Police Station. The accused had started stealing the vehicles around a year back. The first theft was reported in June last year. Before that they worked as drivers,” Assistant commissioner of police (Turbhe division) Mayur Bhujbal said.

This successful operation was carried out under the guidance of Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissioner Sanjay Yenpure, DCP (Zone I) Pankaj Dahane, and ACP Mayur Bhujbal. The investigation was led by Senior PI Sandesh Revale and Crime PI Arun Pawar, with support from API Suresh Dambre, PSI Vishnu Wagh, and a committed team of police constables who played a key role in cracking the case.

Mumbai: On one hand, while the BMC is working to develop alternate sources of water, it has failed to tackle the long-standing issues of water theft and leakages.

Mumbai Reports 14,087 Water Leakage Complaints in First Half of 2025

According to recent data, the BMC received 14,087 complaints of water leakages between January and June 2025 alone. Kurla and Andheri East have emerged as the worst-affected areas, consistently reporting the highest number of cases.

Mumbai’s water comes from seven lakes— Tulsi and Vihar within the city, and five others located 100–175 km away in Palghar, Thane, and Nashik districts. Water from these lakes travels through 650 km of transmission mains and 6,000 km of service pipelines.

City Faces 1.5 Times Water Demand Surge by 2041

Mumbai receives 3,950 million litres (ML) of water daily falling short of the 4,463 ML demand. By 2041, demand is projected to rise 1.5 times to 6,900 ML per day. Despite heavy investment in replacing old pipelines, water loss has surged to 34%, up from 20% in 2009.

According to civic data, Mumbai recorded 96,496 water leakage complaints between January 2022 and June 2025, including 14,087 in the past six months. Complaints dropped from 31,447 in 2022 to 24,000 in 2023, but rose again to 26,962 in 2024.

Leak Detection Cell Disbanded Despite Rising Complaints

Vinod Gholap, president, Fight for Right Foundation noted that the BMC once had a dedicated leak detection cell, which was later disbanded. “Despite claims of replacing 80% of old pipelines, water loss has only worsened. If the network is fixed, why are leaks still rising?” he questioned.

Corrosion, Urban Projects Blamed for Pipeline Damage

A senior civic official said, “Mumbai’s water pipelines, many underground and passing through remote, forested areas, are hard to secure and maintain. Corrosion from soil, silt, humidity, waste, and chemicals worsens leaks. Infrastructural projects in recent years have further damaged the network, causing the loss of crores of litres of water.” However, he added that a 95 km tunnel network has also been laid to improve supply resilience.