Mumbaikars wonder if flood-proofing Andheri subway is really the right way

The subway was shut 21 times due to flooding last monsoon. File pic

Even as the decision of creating an additional parallel drainage line to the Mogra Nullah in Andheri reaches its final stages, residents have raised questions over the expense of keeping the Andheri subway flood-free. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has already started widening the nullah on the west side at a cost of R100 crore. A second, two-phase project to divert flow to another drainage line is on the cards, at an estimated cost of Rs 400 crore.

The Andheri subway was closed for public use a total of 21 times last monsoon due to waterlogging. The nullah-widening project may complete be by 2026, but as it may not be enough to accommodate the flow of water coming rapidly from the East side amid heavy rainfall, the BMC is looking for a solution by laying an additional six by 2.5-feet 125-sqft drain line to divert and discharge the heavy flow of water.

"The work will take almost four years and the BMC will spend so much money on it. In this much time and money, one more Gokhale bridge can be constructed to solve the Andheri subway flooding issue," said Andheri resident Varsha Rajesh. Other residents took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice their opinions on the matter.

"The BMC should focus on fixing the Gokhale bridge mess first, rather than digging up more spots to mess up Andheri," said Shreela Roy. Another resident, Shreya Dhanwanthary said, "Let them repair and make one good flyover before doing something that will again turn out to be a bane than a boon." Meanwhile, Zoru Bathena, an activist said, "The BMC former chief, Ajoy Mehta, scrapped the proposal in 2018 of laying a stormwater line under the subway worth Rs 140 crore. Let's hope this proposal gets scrapped as well."

When contacted, a BMC official said. "The parallel storm water system not only solves the issue of Andheri subway which is due to overflow of Mogra Nullah but it will help the suburb keep flood free in the future. The widening of nullah is not possible due to structures on both sides." On Sunday, the BMC will start work on connecting the Gokhale bridge to the CD Barfiwala flyover, local MLA Amit Satam said on Saturday. The VJTI had submitted a report stating that there is no need to demolish the Barfiwala connector, as the bridge can connect the last four spans, which shall be suitably lifted. The IIT-B report had supported VJTI reccomendation and suggested lifting two spans.

Rs 500 cr
Estimated total cost of the entire project