BMC’s fixes may not prevent flooding in Andheri subway

Mumbai: BMC is considering building holding ponds to temporarily store excess water and diverting drains as part of monsoon preparedness measures for Andheri subway, a chronic flooding spot. But officials have found that they still might not stop it from flooding.Besides, a collective cost estimate of nearly Rs 500 crore and a high maintenance burden—the holding ponds will need to be continuously dewatered—is giving the administration pause.The subway shuts down on heavy rain days. Additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar said its topography poses a major challenge in tackling flooding, which prompted BMC to explore multiple engineering interventions.At a meeting on Tuesday with Andheri West MLA Ameet Satam, BMC said it is planning to develop holding ponds as part of a broader strategy. Similar holding ponds have been built to tackle flooding at Hindmata in Dadar and Milan subway in Santacruz.Civic officials said they have identified three sites for the proposed ponds: a 1,200sqm plot at Dr Ambedkar Garden in Andheri, a 1,000sqm triangular parcel in Jogeshwari, and a 2,000sqm land along Western Express Highway. Bangar said the three will be capable of storing nearly 41,000 cubic metres of water. “BMC is also considering diversion of drains,” he said. The civic body is also scouting for larger plots.Satam echoed the concern that holding ponds alone would not fully resolve flooding at the subway. “I was informed that these holding ponds as well as a 1km drain from Andheri subway to Bhardawadi nullah will not solve the flooding issue by 100%. I have, hence, suggested that a stream flowing from Jogeshwari, which currently comes into Andheri subway, be diverted into a nullah in Andheri East itself as this would be a more cost-effective solution and could potentially avoid multi-crore expenditure on constructing holding ponds,” he told TOI.He said there’ll be another meeting with the civic team a month later before the most feasible option is finalised.