MUMBAI, June 17 -- Refuting media reports of waterlogging on its premises on May 26, the KEM Hospital filed an affidavit with the Bombay high court on Monday claiming that patient care remained unaffected. The bench was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated earlier this week. On May 27, HT had reported on the inconveniences faced by hospital staffers and patients as ankle-length water had entered and accumulated in the wards. Several patients and their relatives who travelled from distant places said water damaged their items after it entered the wards. According to the reports cited in the PIL, heavy rainfall on May 26 led to waterlogging in several ground-floor wards and diagnostic departments, including MRI, X-ray, and sonography units. The court instructed the hospital's dean to implement urgent preventive measures for the upcoming monsoon. It also directed the BMC to conduct a site visit and file a compliance affidavit by June 16. On May 31, the additional municipal commissioner (city), the deputy municipal commissioners (infrastructure, public health), the assistant commissioner (south ward), officials from the stormwater drain (SWD) department and KEM staff visited the site. In the affidavit, KEM Hospital dean Sangeetha Ravat stated that the hospital, while situated in a catchment area, also had an East-to-West sloping topography. This caused the surface runoff rainwater to enter the open ground-floor corridor of the main building on May 26. Patients were neither treated nor waiting in this area, she added. According to the affidavit, critical patient-care areas such as wards, the radiology department, MRI, and X-ray rooms remained completely unaffected and hospital operations continued without disruption. A temporary shed was erected throughout the length of the open passage after assessment to prevent direct ingress of rainwater. The dean ensured that the SWD department and the hospital administration would continue to undertake the periodic cleaning of drains throughout the monsoon season. The matter is scheduled for further hearing next week....