During the ongoing desilting work, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recovered sofas, mattresses, beds, tables, refrigerators and other household items from drains across the eastern suburbs.
Officials also found a nearly intact autorickshaw, a barricade belonging to Saki Naka Police Station, and a wrought-iron BMC dustbin inside the nullahs.
According to civic officials, the discoveries highlight growing concerns over illegal dumping and poor waste disposal habits in the city.
Most of the recovered items were found in drains connected to the Mithi River, raising concerns about Mumbai’s flood preparedness ahead of the monsoon season.
The household waste was removed from areas including Safed Pool drain in Satya Nagar, nullah number 10 in Kurla, nullah number 14 in Saki Naka, and the Govandi-Mankhurd nullah.
Officials said water in some areas, especially Mankhurd and Govandi, had turned green because of industrial waste being discharged into the drains.
The BMC said large amounts of garbage and debris dumped into nullahs slow down the cleaning process and increase the risk of flooding during heavy rains.
The civic body is currently carrying out round-the-clock drain cleaning and desilting operations across Mumbai before the monsoon arrives.
As part of the work, suction machines and special equipment are being used to clear blocked drains and culverts in flood-prone areas.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar recently inspected several key locations, including the Saki Naka Metro Station area, which is known for waterlogging during monsoon rains.
Officials have also instructed teams to install iron mesh barriers at drain openings to stop large waste materials from entering the system.
According to the BMC, only around 20 per cent of desilting work has been completed so far in Zone V, which includes areas from Mulund to Kurla-Chembur.
This is not the first time unusual objects have been found during Mumbai’s pre-monsoon cleanup drives. In previous years, workers had recovered two-wheelers, steel cupboards, tree trunks and even human skeletons from the drains.
The BMC has appealed to citizens not to dump garbage, heavy materials or floating waste into rivers and nullahs.
Officials have directed all desilting and drain-cleaning work to be completed before May 31.
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