Mumbai monsoon: Potholes, hidden water traps create hazardous roads

Heavy monsoon rains have left Mumbai's roads in a hazardous state, with water-filled potholes causing daily accidents. The IMD has issued a red alert, while incidents like a building collapse and a fallen tree have been reported across the city.

The ongoing monsoon rainfall has left Mumbai's road network in a hazardous state, with deep pits concealed by rainwater across several key suburban routes. Commuters using the busy Kurla-Andheri road have expressed concern, noting that the combination of uneven surfaces and hidden water traps is leading to daily mishaps. A resident, Zakir Ansari, reported that the infrastructure has deteriorated significantly, making the stretch from the White Bridge to Kamani Signal extremely dangerous for those navigating the area during the ongoing monsoon season.

"... The potholes here are so bad that two-wheeler riders slip every day. From the White Bridge up to Kamani Signal, the road is in this condition, and it's not even level. During the rains, potholes aren't visible. When water fills them, accidents occur..." Ansari told ANI.

Heavy Rains Lash Mumbai, IMD Issues Red Alert

On Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Mumbai and the Raigad district, valid for the next three hours due to heavy rainfall since Saturday night. Mumbai has recorded more than 250-300 mm of rainfall in the last 23 hours in a few areas of the city. The IMD has forecast moderate to intense spells of rain across these regions.

Over the last few days, a balcony of a dilapidated building in Belapur village, Navi Mumbai, collapsed amid continuous heavy rainfall. It is reported that the building was in a severely dilapidated state. Several parts of Thane city also witnessed waterlogging.

Western Railway Services Remain Uninterrupted

Meanwhile, Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Vineet Abhishek said that operations continued despite the Western Railway suburban network recording staggering precipitation levels exceeding 250 mm since Saturday night, while some regions witnessed rainfall in the range of 150 to 200 cm. "As we have been seeing since last night, and especially today early morning and particularly during the time when it was high tide it was also raining heavily and in some pockets of Western Railway Suburban section we saw rainfall in excess of almost 250 mm and in certain sections we also had rainfall in the range of 150 to 200 mm. There was heavy rainfall throughout our section, however, this did not impact our train operations and our local train operations and long-distance train operations, it continued uninterrupted without any issues," he said.

Tree Collapse in Ghatkopar, BMC Criticised for Inaction

In Ghatkopar, a car was crushed after a giant tree was uprooted in the Vikrant Circle area early in the morning. A local has said that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was informed about the tree, but no action was taken. The eyewitness told ANI that no official came after the complaint was registered, and no action was taken. He said that there have been no casualties reported after the incident. He said, "Around eight days back, our manager complained about this, an offical from the BMC came, he registered the complaint, and no one came. Four vehicles have been damaged. There are no casualties."

Political Backlash Over Civic Negligence After Manhole Death

Earlier on Friday, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar blamed "lack of proper maintenance" by the concerned authorities for the death of a man who fell into an open manhole in Mumbai's Sakinaka area, saying that such incidents recur each year. The victim's family has demanded accountability, compensation and stricter safety measures to prevent similar incidents.

Speaking to ANI, the NCP (SP) MLA said, "Unfortunately, people fall into these manholes and lose their lives due to a lack of proper maintenance; this is a recurring annual issue. The municipal corporation has a budget of approximately Rs 81,000 crore. About Rs 250 crore is spent on pre-monsoon preparations addressing manholes, drains and trees before the rains arrive."

Meanwhile, Shaikh's wife held the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) responsible for the incident and urged authorities to ensure that open manholes are properly secured. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)