July 28, 2025: Mumbai’s annual monsoon has once again brought the city’s pothole problems to the surface, with over 6,758 complaints reported between June and mid-July. Andheri West (K/West ward) registered the highest number of complaints at 488, followed by Bhandup (S ward) with 453. Notably, officials have reported a significant decline in the use of mastic asphalt for repairs compared to previous years.
Despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ongoing effort to make Mumbai pothole-free by concretising 49% of city roads ahead of the monsoon, complaints have risen. The road concretisation project, initiated in 2022, aims to eliminate potholes across the city. However, pothole complaints increased from 6,231 in 2024 to 6,758 in 2025 during the same period (June 1 to July 15), indicating persistent challenges.
To address this, the BMC has deployed one road engineer per ward to carry out daily inspections. Citizens have also been reporting issues through digital platforms such as social media, the disaster management helpline, and the ‘My Pothole Quick Fix’ app. Of the total complaints, 3,461 were submitted by residents, while 3,297 were identified by civic staff.
During the monsoon, BMC relies on mastic asphalt for temporary road repairs. In 2024, 25,632 metric tonnes of mastic were used, while only 6,548 metric tonnes have been deployed so far this year. The use of mastic cookers has also decreased—from a peak of 33 daily last year to 24 in 2025.
Mumbai’s road network spans 2,050 km, of which 1,333 km have been concretised. Under the Rs 17,000 crore mega drive, 700 km of roads will be concretised—320 km under Phase I and 378 km under Phase II—while Rs 154 crore has been allocated for interim asphalt and paver-block road repairs this year.
Source: The Free Press Journal
