The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed a ₹7,345.9 crore flood-risk management programme for Mumbai under the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme. The plan is divided into three broad components: around ₹2,194 crore for nature-based and stormwater measures, ₹2,142.5 crore for coastal embankments and automated flood-protection gates, and ₹3,009.35 crore for drainage augmentation and pumping infrastructure.
The proposal has drawn questions from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, who has called for greater emphasis on climate resilience and nature-based solutions. He questioned whether the large expenditure would translate into effective climate adaptation and pointed to measures such as rainwater-holding tanks at flood-prone locations. The BMC plan itself includes sponge parks, green corridors, bio-retention systems, bioswales, permeable pavements and infiltration tanks, alongside major drainage and coastal infrastructure.
The programme also proposes ₹110.2 crore for consultants to undertake detailed project reports, topographical, hydrological and geotechnical studies and hydraulic assessments. The plan envisages the use of GIS, digital twins, IoT-based monitoring, SCADA, remote sensing and AI-enabled decision-support systems. For Mumbai, where intense rainfall, tidal backflow and low-lying areas combine to create flood exposure, the debate highlights an important risk-management question: whether flood protection should rely primarily on engineered infrastructure or integrate structural measures with natural systems and broader climate-resilience planning.
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