mid-day SPECIAL: Mumbai civic body explores water-holding ponds to tackle Andheri subway flooding

The Andheri subway is a crucial east-west connector in the city. file pics/Satej Shinde

Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shelved its plan to construct a flyover at the Andheri subway as a long-term solution to waterlogging, it is now exploring the construction of water-holding ponds instead.

The civic body has proposed three sites for the project: a 1300 sq m plot at Dr Ambedkar Garden in Andheri, a 1000 sq m plot in Jogeshwari, and a 2000 sq m land parcel near the Western Express Highway.

The aim is to provide relief from recurring monsoon flooding in the area. A review meeting on the proposed solution was held earlier this week with Andheri MLA and BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam.

Earlier plans

mid-day had earlier reported that the BMC had dropped the flyover proposal due to space constraints. Since the Western Railway line passes above the subway, any flyover would need to be constructed at a height of more than six metres. However, there is insufficient space to provide the required gradient, making the proposal unfeasible.

Other solutions being explored by the civic body include sump pits and underground water-holding tanks, similar to those installed at Hindmata and Gandhi Market, both of which have significantly reduced monsoon-related waterlogging in those areas.

Why subway is important?

The Andheri subway is one of the crucial east-west connectors in the city.

When flooding forces the closure of the subway, traffic is diverted via the Gokhale Bridge, adding a detour of about 1.5 km, or via the Balasaheb Thackeray Flyover, which adds roughly 3 km to the journey.

The Andheri subway is particularly prone to flooding every monsoon because it is located in a low-lying catchment area connected to the Mogra nullah.

BMC Speak

Ashwini Bhide, Municipal Commissioner
‘There are solutions now available to mitigate flooding at this spot. We are exploring all of them. However, until they are implemented, when the subway faces waterlogging during the monsoon, we have to close it down. During such times, the priority is to ensure commuters are safe. There are alternative routes to the Andheri subway.'