Mumbai: About a month before monsoon, the city's Mithi river is in dire straits, an NGO has alleged. The Watchdog Foundation has written to the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that the Mithi river stretch along Saki Naka is plagued by water hyacinth, which indicates the excessive presence of sewage and garbage.

“The presence of hyacinth and garbage indicates the need to clean the river urgently, especially when the monsoon is a month away.

These weeds consume the dissolved oxygen and affect the ecosystem. Powai is an example,” said Godfrey Pimenta, Trustee of the Watchdog Foundation.

The clogging of the Mithi river was one of the major contributors to the Mumbai flood of 2005.

The BMC has proposed the Mithi River Water Quality Improvement Project costing `539 crore for whose first phase it floated the tenders earlier this week.

“For years, crores of the fund have been allocated for desilting the Mithi river and the construction of retaining wall along it, yet the river has the dubious distinction of being the most polluted river in the country,” Mr Pimenta added.

Officials at the stormwater department said the desilting work started on time. “We have started working on desilting since the starting of April. Around 48 contractors are carrying out desilting in western and eastern suburbs. The removal of the hyacinth plants will be a part of it,” said Mr V. Khandkar, chief engineer of SWD department.