Mumbai: Not just water, sewage, too, clogs Andheri subway!

Not only rainwater but also filth tends to accumulate in the Andheri subway To accommodate sewage flow the civic body is trying to increase the size of a proposed drainage line parallel to the Mogra nullah but a space crunch makes this challengingEven widening the existing network and laying another drain line to increase capacity will prove insufficient and the subway will be submerged as usual in the rainy season Meanwhile the BMC will not use highcapacity pumps this time as they werenrsquot useful last year and the subway may remain closed more than 30 times this yearLast monsoon the Andheri subway was closed to traffic 21 times Even though there is hardly any rain in the city this year the subway was closed at least twice so far With the lsquoabove normal rainrsquo prediction by the India Meteorological Department IMD a BMC official estimates the subway may need to close at least 30 times in the coming days ldquoThe subway is saucershaped and there is a steep slope so water accumulates quickly even if there is rain at the far east side of Andheri and not at the spot The widening of Mogra nullah is not possible due to encroachment on both sides which leaves us with hardly any optionsrdquo said a civic officialDrainage workThe BMC has already started drainage line widening work worth R100 crore on Andheri West side which will take at least another three years In addition the civic body will lay another drainage line parallel to Mogra nullah The detailed project report was already submitted with a suggestion to lay a 6x25foot drain pipe under the railway track from east to west to get rid of excess water The BMC was supposed to float a tender worth about Rs 209 crore in June but there was a discussion at the senior level about increasing the size of the drain to increase its capacity as there is sewage flow mixed with rainwater There are encroachments on both sides of the nullah and sewage flows in it This occurs at almost every other nullah in the city but the Mogra nullah issue is directly affecting the Andheri subway trafficThe Andheri subway after a shower on July 21 2023 PicAnurag AhireldquoThere is dry weather flow which should be tackled at the sewerage operation department As there isnrsquot any remedy in the near future there was a discussion about increasing the size of the stormwater drain But due to space crunch and the necessity for it to be under railway tracks the width has now increased by half a foot It will also increase the cost by Rs 40 crorerdquo said an official from the stormwater drainage department So the new size of the drain will be 65x25 feet But this also wonrsquot solve the issue said a civic official The nullah carries out water from the east to the west side and it has to be widened The construction of the Mogra pumping station has been halted for years for one reason or the otherThe BMC also tried to use highcapacity water pumps last year but it didnrsquot yield the expected results So this year the corporation wonrsquot use pumps either and keep the subway shut in case of waterloggingThe corporation has somewhat succeeded in tackling waterlogging issues at Hindmata Parel Gandhi Market at Kingrsquos Circle and Milan subway Santacruz by implementing various measures like water storage tanks improving drainage network and high capacity pumps But the Andheri subway eluded the tackled spotsrsquo list and instead the BMC installed digital signboards in Andheri East to inform commuters about the status of the subway and avoid traffic jams30No of times Andheri subway may shut during this monsoonRs 209crEstimated cost for new size drainage line parallel to nullah