TOI: A device to help you drive through flooded roads: June 04, 2008

Mumbai: If you associate monsoons with getting stuck in traffic jams, not knowing whether you can easily move through the water-logged portions, things are about to change. 

 For the first time, the Mumbai traffic police have tied up with the civic authorities to instal flood-gauges on both sides of roads that have extensive water-logging every year.

The flood-gauges show the exact water level (in cm) to make motorists and pedestrians aware of how deep the water is at a particular spot. A trial will first be carried out on the Mahim causeway, which will see 10 such flood-gauges being installed by next week. If the project is a success, it is likely to be implemented in the rest of the city.

   “At the Mahim causeway, traffic from two roads merges. There is considerable space between the kerb line and the central divider. When water accumulates on the left lane, vehicles tend to shift lanes and crowd the right lane. The floodgauges will be installed near the kerb line in such a way that they can be prominently seen even from a distance,’’ said joint municipal commissioner S S Shinde.

The 3.5-ft-long flood-gauge is made of an aluminium composite panel. It glows in the dark and is also colour-coded. The 10-30-cm mark is coloured green, which means vehicles can safely cruise through this level, the 40-60-cm mark is amber in colour while the 70-100-cm mark is red, which acts as a danger alert to motorists. 

“The wheel base of every vehicle is different. While a bus driver can easily navigate a flooded patch on a road, a smaller car like a Nano won’t be able to do so,’’ said DCP (traffic) Harish Baijal. The police have compiled a list of 60-70 chronic flooded spots, including Worli Naka, Hindmata, Lalbaug, King’s Circle and outside Sena Bhavan in Dadar. 

“The results of the pilot project will be out after the first few rains. Subject to the BMC’s approval, the project could be implemented at the other spots,’’ a traffic official said.