Homes rattled by high tide due to coastal road work: SoBo residents

The tremors, they say, were especially felt inside Shree Niketan and Gobind Mahal buildings, located between the G and F roads in Marine Drive, which are near the Coastal Road work site

MumbaiFor the past few days, residents living in bungalows on Marine Drive have been feeling unusual vibrations sitting in their homes, which they noticed were coinciding with high-tide timings. The residents say that this is due to the fact that a large number of tetrapods, which protect the coastline, have been relocated due to the ongoing Coastal Road project.

Mumbai, India – July 17, 2022: Tetrapods that have been removed adjoining sea-wall near Princess Street Flyover, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, July 17, 2022. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

The tremors, they say, were especially felt inside Shree Niketan and Gobind Mahal buildings, located between the G and F roads in Marine Drive, which are near the Coastal Road work site.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is constructing the 10.58-km coastal road project, for which it had to relocate a large number of tetrapods between the Princess Street flyover and Worli Sea Face. Marine Drive residents say that due to the removal of the tetrapods, the waves are now directly hitting the sea wall adjoining the Marine Drive promenade, which is causing tremors in the buildings across the road.

The residents have also written to municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal and additional municipal commissioner, Ashwini Bhide, who is in-charge of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP). Bhide said she has asked the Coastal Road team to examine the concerns.

In the letter, the residents’ association said that the tetrapods have been removed from the Marine Drive periphery. “Residents had never faced this incident before and only experienced it this year - the difference being that the tetrapod this year have been removed for coastal road work. Earlier, the tetrapod would absorb the impact of the strong monsoon waves, hence the impact would not radiate till the buildings. However now the boundary walls are pounded by the strong waves,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, Bhide told HT, “If they formally share their concern with the chief engineer of coastal road then it will be examined. There are monitoring instruments installed by coastal road contractor to measure impact of vibrations. Coastal road team has been asked to examine and address the concerns.”

Anirudh Somani, a resident of the 67-year-old Shriniketan building, said he felt the jolts for half an hour on Saturday afternoon. “I was lying down in the afternoon and suddenly I felt my building shake. It would shake for a second and then stop and this would then get repeated. Within half an hour, our building shook more than 20 times,” Somani told HT on Sunday. He also mentioned that every time the building shook, he could hear the tidal waves hitting the wall. When Somani checked with neighbours, he was told that this had been happening from the end of last week.

Rajan Hiranandani, society chairman of Gobind Mahal building, said that this is the first time in 55 years of living here that he experienced such a thing. Hirandandani said that recently several tetrapods have been relocated from the construction site, due to which the tidal waves are now hitting the seawall directly during high tide, causing vibration in the building.

Ashok Gupta, a resident of Zaver Mahal building which is just beside Wankhede Stadium said that residents in the building felt tremors at least thrice a week during high tide.

“I have been staying here for 16 years now but feeling a tremor during peak high tide is a common occurrence now,” Gupta said. He is also the vice president of Marine Drive Residents’ Association.

Atul Kumar, vice president of the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizen’s Welfare Trust said that there are 35 sea-facing bungalows in Marine Drive. “This is a genuine concern and I believe the BMC administration will take serious cognizance of this issue,” he said.

Vibrations to neighbouring building due to high tide is a possibility, according to Professor Deepankar Choudhary, Head of Department, civil engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. “This is a dynamic and natural event so vibrations of the adjoining buildings could be possible during high-tide. However, it will be inappropriate to make a concrete statement on this issue without data,” said Professor Choudhary.

Harshita Narwekar, who was the corporator in the area, said that she is aware of this issue.

“I will take it up with the civic administration. The Marine Drive area is a heritage precinct, and all the buildings needs to be protected. Also, we need to keep in mind that climate change is happening for which there has been a change in tidal patterns as well,” said Narwekar.