Mumbai’s Drain Scam: ₹395 Cr Spent, City Still Floods.

Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098

Mumbai’s first monsoon shower exposed massive drainage failures despite ₹395 crore spent on pre-monsoon works. Roads, metros, and hospitals were waterlogged. The Sprouts News SIT investigates alleged corruption involving BMC, contractors, and political links. Citizens question where public funds went as institutional apathy and urban mismanagement flood the city—literally.

Mumbai choked under its very first monsoon shower of 2025. Roads, railway tracks, underground metro stations, and even hospitals were waterlogged across the city. Daily commuters were left stranded, facing immense hardship due to severe flooding.

Despite annual claims by the BMC of extensive pre-monsoon drain cleaning, the situation on the ground paints a different picture. The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) has begun probing where the hundreds of crores supposedly spent on desilting and preparedness have actually gone.

For the fiscal year 2025–26, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) presented its biggest-ever budget: ₹74,427 crore. Of this, ₹5,100 crore was allocated for roads and transport infrastructure, and a staggering ₹5,545 crore for sewage treatment systems. Specifically for drain cleaning, ₹249.27 crore was spent in 2024, and another ₹395 crore in 2025—including silt removal from the Mithi River.

Despite appointing 31 contractors for these tasks, waterlogging crippled Mumbai yet again. From housing societies to hospitals and roads, the city resembled a water park. The Sprouts News SIT Team has identified red flags in contractor performance reports and fund utilization records, raising questions about “hands-in-the-drain” corruption.

As visuals of submerged vehicles and flooded metro stations went viral, anger surged among residents. Citizens question why BMC’s repeated pre-monsoon claims fail year after year. Experts say the collusion between civic contractors, BMC officials, and political stakeholders has turned Mumbai’s monsoon prep into a façade for fund siphoning.

The first rain didn’t just flood Mumbai’s streets—it exposed the murky politics of urban mismanagement. Allegations now span not only civic inefficiency but also deliberate financial misappropriation under the guise of public works.

The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) is now reviewing budget breakdowns, contractor agreements, and tender processes to uncover who benefited from these bloated drain-cleaning budgets. Despite such massive allocations, why was the city not even minimally prepared?

Urban development analysts suggest that these recurring floods are not merely natural calamities—but manufactured disasters. With municipal elections nearing, this issue is expected to gain political traction, making it a litmus test for public accountability.