Ensure road work doesn’t hamper citizens

A puddle formed at the side of road after downpour (right) The mud-laden Best Colony Road. PICS/ESHANPRIYA MS

Recently, this paper ran a report stating that despite regulations by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), mud-laden dumper trucks from a construction site in Milat Nagar, Lokhandwala, Andheri, are causing severe dust pollution along an 800-metre stretch, affecting over 10 residential towers and several shops.

The Lokhandwala Complex Environment Action Group first raised the issue with the BMC in September 2024, reporting that five to six trucks leave the site daily with wheels caked in wet soil. This soil is deposited along the road by the trucks. In dry months, it creates thick dust clouds; in the monsoon, the wet sludge spreads further through passing vehicles. In heavy rain, the soil gets washed off the carriageway and settles along the footpaths, creating dangerously slippery surfaces.

An environmentalist stated that the BMC cleans roads using high-pressure water jets on one hand, and on the other, these trucks are making them muddy again. Vehicles have also been carrying soil into the compounds of housing societies, and some locals have been suffering from health problems.

The civic bodies had mandated that trucks wash their wheels before exiting sites. This will help mitigate the problem to a large extent. On-site personnel need to be aware of this, or they will witness the usual passing the buck.

There must be enough water at the site to allow for the washing of wheels. This is the duty of the authorities and the contractor, who has to ensure there is water and make arrangements for the washing.

Mumbai is facing tremendous challenges thanks to road work, construction activity and the monsoon. Make sure rules are adhered to, in order to make life just that much easier for the harried but hardy citizen.