Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, where he announced a $108 million plan to replace more than 6,700 catch basins citywide over the next decade.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Tuesday, March 31, marked the 90th day of Zohran Mamdani’s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office. We are closely tracking his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city’s finances. Here’s a summary of what the mayor did yesterday and today.
The city will invest $108 million to replace more than 6,700 catch basins over the next decade, part of an effort to improve street drainage and reduce flooding as rainstorms grow more intense, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday.
Speaking at a news conference in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Mamdani said the work will begin in Queens in July, then move to Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Bronx. He said the investment builds on the $20 million already spent on 40 new catch basin-cleaning trucks.
Mamdani said catch basins are “an essential part of a 7,500-mile sewer network” and said the city has more than 150,000 of them.
Catch basins, also known as storm drains, channel rainwater from streets into the city’s sewer system. Blocked basin grates can leave neighborhoods vulnerable to flooding.
DEP Commissioner Lisa Garcia said the city’s recent rainstorms have increased pressure on that system. “New York City’s most intense rainstorms have all come in the past four years,” Garcia said. “That means our infrastructure has to work harder and smarter.”
Research warns that climate change is increasing the risk of extreme short-duration rainfall in NYC and putting added pressure on stormwater infrastructure built for less intense downpours.
Garcia said the replacements will “modernize underground structures to increase capacity and take in more water.” She said the program is intended to protect neighborhoods across all five boroughs.
The catch basin initiative also builds on the city’s purchase of new cleaning trucks, Garcia said. Nine are already in service, with four more expected later this year.
In addition, DEP spends about $1.5 million a year to upgrade existing basins, Garcia said. She said the agency has installed more than 400 slotted manhole covers to provide an alternate drainage path when basins are blocked and has made nearly 300 catch basins bike-friendly.
Garcia said DEP is also using a “proactive, data-driven approach” to inspections and maintenance. She said the agency tests catch basins annually or biannually and uses flood sensors to identify chronic flooding areas and prioritize repairs.
She added that catch basin and street flooding complaints are now resolved within three days.
Mamdani cast the investment as part of a broader argument for visible public infrastructure improvements. “When city government can show that when it rains in the city, it doesn’t have to flood, it also shows New Yorkers that we can dream of a tomorrow that is better than today,” he said.
TikTok: ‘We’re back’
Also on Tuesday, Mamdani’s administration reversed the city government’s TikTok ban, reopening the app to city agencies after former Mayor Eric Adams barred it from government devices in 2023 over security concerns tied to the platform’s Chinese ownership.
POLITICO first reported Tuesday morning that the change, and Mamdani confirmed it in a brief video on the revived @nycmayor account, which hadn’t posted since July 2023: “TikTok, we’re back,” he declared in a short clip.
The policy shift does not amount to a full return to business as usual. According to an email obtained by POLITICO, agencies can use TikTok only on city-issued devices that contain no other apps, and only designated communications staff will be allowed to operate the accounts.
The social media-savvy mayor addressed the reversal a few hours later at the Sunset Park press conference. Asked whether city technology or cybersecurity officials had set rules to protect data and location information, the mayor said there would be “specific procedures” and that “authorized users will be able to use this on city devices.”
He also argued that the rationale behind the Adams-era ban had changed. “The concerns around privacy had to do, as was stated, with the prior ownership of TikTok, that ownership has now changed,” Mamdani said. “We see the federal government is using TikTok. Our goal is to communicate with as many New Yorkers as possible. This is one way that many New Yorkers are engaging with the world around.”
The Adams administration banned TikTok from city government devices after officials raised concerns that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, was too closely tied to the Chinese government, potentially exposing user data. The mayoral TikTok account went dark after that move.
TikTok’s U.S. business was restructured earlier this year into a new joint venture with a majority-American board, though ByteDance retains a minority stake.
Mamdani visits U.N. headquarters
Earlier Tuesday, Mamdani visited the United Nations headquarters for his first meeting there as mayor, sitting down with Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss cooperation between the city and the international body.
According to a U.N. readout, Guterres welcomed Mamdani to headquarters and thanked him for the “outstanding relationship and support” the United Nations receives from New York as its host city. The two also discussed how to deepen cooperation, with the secretary-general noting the “critical role” cities play in today’s world.
Mamdani told U.N. News that NYC is “so proud to be the host city of the United Nations” and what it represents — “the fact that we are part of something larger than just ourselves.”
“This is a city where more than 3 million New Yorkers were born outside of this country, myself included,” Mamdani said. “The United Nations is something that we are proud to welcome each and every day, and we’re excited to continue that partnership.”
Calling it his first visit to U.N. headquarters, Mamdani added: “It’s beautiful.”
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