Waterlogging at Taloja subway in Navi Mumbai within days of opening for commuters
The subway was opened for commuters on November 9. On Wednesday, the commuters had to encounter chaos as the water level was above one foot
Ten days after opening the Taloja subway for commuters, there was waterlogging leading to inconvenience to the commuters in the last few days. The railways finally repaired the ₹28Cr subway, stopping the flooding of creek water. The railways, however, denied the water logging was due to faulty design or insufficient pumping capacity.
The subway was opened for commuters on November 9. On Wednesday, the commuters had to encounter chaos as the water level was above one foot.
Haresh Keni, local corporator, said, “The railways have, at present, installed a 22.5hp capacity pump to drain water. However, taking into account the water accumulating in the subway, at least a 100hp capacity pump is required. I have informed the railway authorities about the problem and asked for immediate action.”
The subway has been constructed as Taloja residents have had to spend hours in traffic jams caused by the railway crossing in the area.
When contacted, chief public relations officer of central railway, Shivaji Sutar, said, “The subway is located much below the ground level. There are proper drainage arrangements in place with pumps installed at the lower and also upper level to pick up water and remove it through the drainage. Since the upper level pump had shut down on Wednesday, water had seeped in for a few hours and accumulated. The pump at the location has been repaired and the water is drained. This was a temporary issue and has been sorted out. There is no fault with the subway design or capacity of the pump.”
He said pumps with additional capacity will be installed during monsoon.