
The absence of a storm water drain below a major portion of B G Kher Road, or Ridge Road, could have played a role in the Malabar Hill landslide. BMC officials believe that due to the absence of such a drain, the seepage of rainwater over the years had weakened the retaining wall on the hill slope, which finally gave way recently.
Officials from BMC’s road department said that there is a storm water drain from Hydraulic Engineers (HE) bungalow near Malabar Hill reservoir, which carries rainwater up to the Kamala Nehru Park. However, beyond that till Kemps Corner there is no drain.
“In this stretch rainwater used to flow on the surface till Kemps Corner junction. In last so many years this has caused the gradual deterioration of the road and retaining wall. While reconstructing the road, we will ensure the construction of a storm water drain on this stretch,” said an official from the roads department.
On August 6, after heavy rainfall, a huge landslide near Doongerwadi at Malabar Hill shut B G Kher Road and N S Patkar Road to traffic. Last week, a team of IIT-Bombay inspected the landslide area to assess the damage and recommended a partial closure for at least six months of both roads. The team is, however, checking the possibility of opening traffic on the south side of N S Patkar Road, previously known as Hughes Road.
According to BMC officials, IIT-B will submit its report by next week with plans of reconstruction, damage to hill and opening of traffic. About 150 metres stretch of B G Kher Road has sunk by four feet to six feet. Officials said that the landslide damaged about 220 metres of N S Patkar Road.