The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has accomplished its mission to stop leakage in a 30-year-old, dilapidated pipeline on Khairani Road at Kurla (West) after three months of dedicated efforts. The repair work took place on Saturdays from March 4 due to the high population density in the area.

CIPP technology

With the use of cured in place pipe (CIPP) technology, the work has now been completed, significantly prolonging the life of the 1200 mm diameter and 800 mm long water main.

The Khairani Road pipeline has faced multiple bursts due to its old and deteriorated condition. It is responsible for supplying water to Sangharsh Nagar, Subhash Nagar, Bhanushali Wadi, Kulkarni Wadi, Durga Mata Mandir, and other areas along Khairani Road. The pipeline had severe corrosion at various points, leading to frequent leaks. Replacing the pipeline was not feasible due to the narrow road, heavy traffic, and the presence of various utilities.

A challenging task

To address this issue, the hydraulic engineering department of the BMC opted for the cured in place pipe (CIPP) method to strengthen the inner part of the water channel. CIPP is a trenchless rehabilitation technique used for repairing existing pipelines. The nature of the work made it challenging for the civic team, as the project required 10 days to complete.

However, due to the presence of utilities beneath Khairani Road and the heavy traffic, the BMC devised a plan to conduct one-day isolation on Saturdays over a period of 10 weeks instead of continuous isolation. Each Saturday, an 80-meter stretch of the pipeline was rehabilitated. The entire 800-meter length of the water main was strengthened and completed by March 27, according to a civic official.

Mumbai would see party cloudy skies for the next 48 hours with no major hope for rainfall, the India Meteorological Department said in its weather report on Sunday. Since the last few days, the city has been witnessing a pleasant weather in comparison to the earlier days of the month which were sunny and humid.

On Monday, May 29, Mumbai recorded a temperature of 29.2^oC and humidity of 79% in the morning hours of the day. However, the forecast noted that the maximum and minimum temperatures very likely to be around 35^oC. & 28^oC respectively until Tuesday.

Mumbai AQI

Due to cloudy sky and drizzles in the city recently, Mumbai breathed ‘good’ quality air post May 25. Since the last 3-4 days, the city recorded AQI below 50 which made it appear in the ‘good’ category, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

For context, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 is ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

AQI of different areas in Mumbai

Malad: 39

Kandivali: 54

Borivali: 55

Deonar: 59

Colaba: 121

In a shocking incident a brother and sister drowned in a Davdi lake in Dombivali on Sunday afternoon when they were giving a bath to their pet dog. The incident took place because both were unable to gauge the water level in the lake. The Fire brigade officials and Manpada police officials soon reached the spot after getting the information. Manpada police have taken the body of both the deceased into their custody.

Accidental Death

The brother and sister have been identified as Ranjith Ravindran (23) and Keerthi Ravindran (18).Yashwant Ghangale, sub-station officer, Dombivali, MIDC said, “Ranjith Ravindran and Keerthi Ravindran used to live with their father and mother in the Umesh Nagar area of Dombivli West. Ranjith was in his final year of MBBS while Keerthi took admitted to class 12th this year. Parents had gone to the village for personal work. The family have a pet dog and the brother and sister every Sunday used to take the dog for a bath at Davdi Lake near Dombivli on their scooter.”

Watery Grave

Ghangale added, ” When Keerthi was giving a bath to the dog her leg skipped and she fell into the lake and started drowning. When she was drowning her brother Ranjith jumped to save her but unfortunately, both drowned in the water. One of the passersby saw that there was a dog and scooter outside Davdi Lake and so he informed the Manpada police station. The police reached the spot and we along with our team removed the body of Keerthi and Ranjith from the lake and handed it to police officials.”

An investigation officer from the Manpada police station said, ” We have registered the accidental death report (ADR) and further investigating the case.”