Mumbai: 'Saucer' of Andheri Subway, undulating JVLR are monsoon flooding spots

MUMBAI: The natural 'saucer plate' that is Andheri Subway as well as Metro Rail construction is likely to jeopardise the monsoon preparedness of civic authorities who are working to secure the Andheri-Jogeshwari belt against flooding. The closure of Oshiwara Bridge and Juhu Tara Road is also releasing more traffic onto SV Road.
The Lokhandwala-Vikhroli-Kanjurmarg Metro 6 Line has narrowed the width of Lokhandwala Road while the DN Nagar-Dahisar stretch is being built alongside. Roads in Andheri East are also making way for Metro 7 to Dahisar.
Andheri Subway
Assistant municipal commissioner of K East ward Prashant Sapkale said JVLR opposite Majas Depot and Andheri Subway were critical flooding spots in his jurisdiction. "MMRDA had handed us the roads with missing culverts. We created these. Moreover the topography of JVLR is undulating in parts. We undertook so much work and avoided flooding last year. As for Andheri Subway, it is a 'saucer portion' so there is no solution. The Mogra nullah flows into K West ward which is tasked with installing pumps to drain out the water." K West has kept pumps on site this year already.
Yet, it is neighbourhood shopkeepers who warn motorists to steer clear of the subway at times. Amjad Ali of Subway Tyres said, "My shop and another cyclewallah are open 24/7. It is we who alert so many drivers and pedestrians to avoid crossing the flooded subway during heavy rain. Else they would drown."
SV Road in Andheri, especially the point under the Metro 1 line where it meets Jayprakash Road, has long been a nightmare for motorists who struggle with one or two feet of standing rainwater. Traffic jams span half an hour at times.
Andheri Market near Ram Mandir also floods easily. However, assistant civic commissioner of K West ward, Prashant Gaikwad said, "We have created a drain which was absent on SV Road from Vile Parle to Andheri. The stretch did not see any flooding during the previous monsoon."
Gaikwad said they cleared Juhu Tara Road near Hotel Marriott last year. The Prathmesh Complex portion of Veera Desai Road is a challenge they are working to address.
K West authorities have cleared the nullahs and also held meetings with MMRDA officials who are overseeing Metro construction to avert flooding caused by waste and debris.
Jogeshwari corporator Raju Pednekar points to Behrambaug in Jogeshwari West as a likely flooding spot. "The storm water drain connectivity is yet to be completed. Tenders could not be floated owing to the election code of conduct," he said. "Plastic waste blocks nullahs in sites like Vaishali Nagar and once it is cleared, the rainwater drains quickly."
The husband of Andheri corporator Shahida Haroon Khan pointed to Veera Desai Road where rainwater accumulates each year. "Pumps have been installed by the BMC but these are rendered ineffective when the nullahs overflow," Haroon Khan rued.
Fortunately after years of trial and error, Santacruz's Milan Subway, which was a major monsoon hiccup further along SV Road, has been addressed. Shopowners in this automobile spare parts hub confirmed that flooding has been stemmed over the past two years. "For years the rainwater would rise two or three feet inside my shop. Thankfully those days are over," said Vijay Bhatt of Jai Car Accessories. Ravneet Nanda of Bombay Tyres was glad for the "holiday" from annual flooding.