Rain pain: Potholes plague the roads again

MUMBAI: Getting to places in Mumbai in the past week has been nothing short of an obstacle course as motorists have had to dodge both the heavy rain and potholes

MUMBAI: Getting to places in Mumbai in the past week has been nothing short of an obstacle course as motorists have had to dodge both the heavy rain and potholes on arterial roads.

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In just two weeks, 813 new potholes have surfaced on Mumbai’s roads, data from the civic body shows. Till July 23, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recorded 1,566 potholes. This figure grew to 2,379 potholes by Saturday.

And, most of them — 965 — were reported from the western suburbs.

Borivli reported the maximum complaints with 325 potholes, followed by Andheri (West), with 245.

The island city reported 797 potholes, the eastern suburbs, 617 potholes.

Traffic snarls were common through the week, as the several hundred potholes slowed down vehicle movement on roads already congested. The BMC’s repair work added to the chaos.

Officials, however, said most complaints were attended to, leaving just 164 potholes that need to be repaired.

Mumbai has received 1,496.2mm rainfall in the first two months of the monsoon season. Relentless rain on Friday crippled the city’s public transport network. The island city received 90.38mm rainfall, while the eastern and the western suburbs received 94.87mm and 102.70mm respectively.

As complaints about potholes rise, and the Bombay high court constantly slamming the corporation for the poor condition of the roads, officials in the BMC said they were considering more efficient methods to fix potholes.