Mumbai Rains: Only 2 days of showers, and potholes are back again

Come rain, come winter, Mumbai can never rid its roads of potholes. The unseasonal rain, which hit the city this week thanks to cyclone Ockhi, once again saw city roads being dotted with potholes. This time, however, officials have blamed the rain for wreaking havoc and disrupting their road repair work.

Rainwater accumulates on flyover at Lalbaug. Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar

The worst affected stretch was the junction near Mumbai University in Churchgate. When mid-day visited South Mumbai, which is home to the BMC headquarters, the stretch near the university junction was not only uneven, but also pockmarked with several potholes. Due to the unexpected rain, the road surface too had become slippery and motorists were seen driving with extreme caution.

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Around 15 km away, on the arterial Lalbaug Flyover, the recently resurfaced road also appeared to have taken a beating. The road on the north-bound stretch of the flyover had been resurfaced with asphalt a few days ago. But, as it takes around 48 to 72 hours for the asphalt to settle, potholes appeared to have resurfaced again. On one stretch, an exposed road surface that had been scraped for repairs was severely water-logged, making it difficult for motorists to ply.

Potholes at the junction near Mumbai University

"The potholes have appeared as rainwater accumulated on the scraped road surfaces. This is a major setback for us," said a senior BMC official.

"But, we can't do much in such a situation, and will now have to wait for the roads to dry, before starting work again. We hope to complete work by May 2018," added the official.