Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said Mumbai cannot completely eliminate potholes until all roads are concretised, as frequent utility work beneath roads and continuous monsoon rains make permanent repairs difficult.
Bhide said the city's pothole problem will reduce substantially only after all roads concretised, with work expected to continue through 2027.
Speaking at Raj Shamani's podcast, she said, Out of the city's 2,050 km road network, around 1,700 km have already been concretised. About 300 km still remain. Work is currently underway on 150 km, but this cannot be completed during the ongoing monsoon. That work is expected to be finished by March 2027. The remaining 150 km will be taken up afterward.
Highlighting recurring pothole problems, the BMC commissioner mentioned almost all of Mumbai's roads were bituminous (asphalt) roads. The problem with these roads is that if the integrity of the asphalt layer is compromised for any reason and water seeps inside, it continues to crack the layer, she said, adding, this is why potholes are much more common on bituminous roads.
Bhide further claimed that the pothole repair expenditure has been declining by around 35% to 45% every year, indicating that the city's pothole problem is gradually reducing as more roads are concretised.
Potholes and open manholes have been a consistent issue in Mumbai, especially during monsoon with two reported deaths bringing the problem back in focus. Last year, the Bombay High Court said there can be no justification for bad roads in the city and urged civic bodies and government were not only obligated, but duty-bound to provide good roads to citizens.
Why Mumbai has many potholes?
Mumbai has around 2,050 km of roads. These roads vary in width, from about 6 metres to 45 metres, and this includes both the Eastern Express Highway and the Western Express Highway. According to Bhide, a network of utilities lied beneath these roads and it is essential to dig up city roads at times. "If we shift these utilities outside the roads, they would have to pass through private land, creating land acquisition and valuation issues. Therefore, utilities such as water pipelines, gas pipelines, telecom cables, and others are all placed beneath the roads," she said.
Bhide emphaised that as the city's population grows and new buildings come up, these utilities require new connections. At times, they also need repairs or maintenance. While some utilities can be accessed through manholes without digging up the road, many others require the road surface to be cut open for maintenance or repairs.
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