The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has cancelled its plan to construct a flyover at Andheri subway as part of a long-term solution to navigate the issue of waterlogging. The civic body had appointed a consultant in January to check the feasibility of the construction of the flyover to lift traffic off the subway, which gets waterlogged during the monsoon and is shut.
Why does it always flood?
The Andheri subway is prone to flooding because it lies in a low-lying catchment area of the Mogra nullah. Rainwater flows rapidly into the subway due to the area’s gradient. mid-day has reported about repeated instances of the subway being closed due to monsoon waterlogging, attributed to a bottleneck in Mogra nullah abutting the subway that leads to waterlogging.
Why has the plan been cancelled?
>> Not feasible to construct a flyover due to lack of space.
>> As the Western Railway line passes over it, a flyover will need to be constructed at a height above six metres.
>> The bridge is too short to maintain a steady slope.
Vital connector
The Andheri subway is a vital east-west connector. Due to the flooding, the traffic is diverted via the Gokhale Bridge, adding a 1.5 km detour, and the Balasaheb Thackeray Flyover, which adds roughly 3 km. These repeated diversions lead to traffic snarls along SV Road and the Western Express Highway.
What are the other options?
>> Sump pit with dewatering pumps
>> Construction of an underground water holding tank
