BMC to make special pothole-filling mix by mid-June to fix Mumbai roads this monsoon
The patented pothole filler, which does not disintegrate easily, will be used on pilot basis and its effectiveness tested
This monsoon, some of the potholes on the city’s roads will be filled with what the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims is a superior patented mix, which it will be manufacturing in its own plant in Worli, in collaboration with a German firm.
Last June, the BMC spent ₹70 lakh to procure 38 tonnes of this pothole-filling mix from Austria and Israel, and said it gave good results. In order to reduce the cost of importing the mix, the BMC has decided to buy the ingredients required from a German firm and use its own raw materials and manufacture the mix at its Worli plant.
It will start manufacturing the material this month, said a senior civic official, requesting anonymity. Every year, the BMC uses around 11,000 metric tonnes of pothole mix during the monsoon, but it will manufacture only 2,500 metric tonnes of this mix by mid-June and determine how effective it is. The manufacturing cost for 2,500 metric tonnes has been estimated at ₹127 crore.
This material will be used at various spots across Mumbai on a pilot basis. “It will cost us ₹28 per kg, compared to the ₹170 per kg we paid for the mixture from Israel. The mix will be used and monitored, and then a decision will be taken on whether we want to manufacture more of it,” said Vinod Chithore, chief engineer, road and traffic, BMC.
Prior to this, the material the BMC used would not survive heavy traffic and would disintegrate, resulting in potholes reappearing at the same spots. The patented mix is said to have strong chemical compounds that will prevent it from disintegrating.