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BMC sees big dip in pothole complaints this year
Last year, from July 1 to July 18, a total of 292 complaints were recorded on BMC’s helpline and app in 24 wards. This year, the complaints for the same period have come down to 173. The cumulative data (from April 1 to July 18) last year shows 408 pothole complaints while this year there are 353. The data is inclusive of statistics from the sewage, storm water drains, hydraulic and other departments.
Mumbai: In 2017, when a radio jockey took potshots at the pothole-riddled roads of Mumbai, the BMC was riled. Six years later, the civic body appears to have finally got its act together on the pothole problem if its collated data on complaints is anything to go by.
Last year, from July 1 to July 18, a total of 292 complaints were recorded on BMC’s helpline and app in 24 wards. This year, the complaints for the same period have come down to 173. The cumulative data (from April 1 to July 18) last year shows 408 pothole complaints while this year there are 353. The data is inclusive of statistics from the sewage, storm water drains, hydraulic and other departments.
When asked about the factors that led to the gradual decrease in potholes over the years, a civic official from the BMC’s roads department said that a major reason was the concretisation of roads. “Out of 2,050 km, 997 km have already been concretised while the remaining roads are being taken up,” he said. “Recently, we floated seven tenders for seven zones and attended to many bad patches, which cost ₹125 crore.”
The civic official said that bad patches on the Western Express Highway (WEH) and Eastern Express Highway (EEH) were also taken up. “The potholes on these stretches reduced after the BMC took over the highways from MMRDA and MSRDC in November last year,” he said.
Roads under the BMC fall into three categories: project roads or those that are dug up for infrastructure projects (the BMC repairs these), DLP roads (where contractors given the job of building the road are bound by a 10-year Defect Liability Period and have to carry out repairs on potholes) and non-DLP roads. “For non-DLP roads, wards were given the services of an agency along with funds to repair bad patches,” said the civic official.
In the case of project roads and DLP roads, there has been a gradual improvement over the years. “What we have learnt through experience from 2019 is that concrete roads don’t develop potholes for at least 10 years,” said the civic official. “We used this formula on other roads and hence saw less bad patches this year.”
The civic official said that under the DLP period, even roads destroyed due to Metro works had been repaired. “We also got the storm water drains, sewage, hydraulic and other departments to coordinate with the road department and worked out an internal system, using a holistic approach to tackle potholes,” he said.
The BMC has also spent ₹120 crore to resurface 112 km of roads using blacktopping technology. “The Defect Liability Period of blacktopping work is two years,” said the official. “It will guarantee that there are no potholes on these stretches, since contractors have to repair them immediately.”
Mustaq Ansari, one of a group of ‘pothole warriors’ who keep the BMC on its toes every monsoon, acknowledged that there had been fewer pothole complaints this year. “We have received complaints from Mulund and the western suburbs but by and large they have reduced,” he said.
Last year, the BMC put together a report on Mumbai’s worst pothole-riddled roads, in which the western suburbs were marked red. This year too, from April to July, the western suburb wards have reported the most potholes: P north ward in Malad reported 53 potholes followed by R central in Borivali with 39, and K west ward in Andheri West-Juhu with 26.
BOX 1
Ward-wise break up of potholes recorded from April 1 to July 18, 2023
A
Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, Churchgate, Fort -8
B
Dongri, Umarkhadi -3
C
Bhuleshwar, Pydhonie, Marine Lines, Dhobi Talao-7
D
Tardeo, Girgaum, Walkeshwar, Malabar Hill, Altamont Road - 4
E
Mazgaon, Nagpada, Byculla-20
F-North
Matunga, Sion, Dharavi-3
F-South
Parel, Sewri, Naigaum-0
G-North
Dadar, Mahim, Shivaji Park-19
G-South
Worli, Lower Parel, Prabhadevi, Mahalaxmi-6
H-East
Bandra (E), Khar (E), Santa Cruz (E)-9
H-West
Bandra (W), Khar (W), Santa Cruz (W)-3
K-East
Vile Parle (E), Andheri (E), Jogeshwari (E)-20
K-West
Andheri (W), Vile Parle (W), Juhu-26
L
Kurla, Chunabhatti-10
M-East
Deonar, Anushakti Nagar, Govandi, Mankhurd-7
M-West
Chembur, Tilaknagar- 6
N
Ghatkopar, Vidyavihar-5
P-South
Goregaon, Aarey Colony-7
P-North
Malad-East, Malad-West- 53
R-South
Kandivli, Charkop, Poisar-10
R-North
Dahisar, Mandapeshwar-12
R-Central
Borivli, Gorai, Magathane-39
S
Vikhroli, Bhandup- 12
T
Mulund, Nahur-5
Total potholes reported in wards - 294
plus other agencies and departments
Grand Total: 353 potholes
BOX 2:
Pothole complaints from April 1 to July 18 2022
Central 27
Ward 306-plus
Including other agencies:
Total 408
Pothole complaints from April 1 to July 18, 2023
Central- 7
Ward – 294
Including other agencies:
Grand total – 353
From July1 to July 18, 2022
Central -22
Ward - 272
Total - 292
From July1- July18, 2023
Central- 3
Ward- 170
Total -173
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