India, June 5 -- Desilting works in the Mithi River, along with various large and small drains across Mumbai, are progressing rapidly, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday. This year, the target for pre-monsoon desilting is 9,68,008 metric tonnes. As of Wednesday morning, the BMC has removed 796,765 metric tonnes of silt, i.e. 82.31% of the target.

The work is executed with the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, which the civic officials say has improved efficiency and transparency in the desilting process. According to the BMC administration, through AI monitoring, fines exceeding Rs.3 crore were levied on negligent contractors. Desilting efforts will continue even during and after the monsoon, they s...