While at least three deaths have been reported in Mumbai's satellite cities due to potholes, the craters in the city are no less severe. As per official data, 350 potholes were reported on the Dahisar and Andheri stretch of Western Express Highway (WEH) within the first 10 days of July after the city was pummelled by heavy showers.

That makes it an average of 19 potholes per kilometre. Now, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) which maintains the approximately 18-km of the highway, has said that it has filled 305 out of the total 350 potholes using either cold mix, paver blocks or aggregates with emulsion.

"The rest are also being filled," said a MMRDA official, adding, "Fixing potholes is a continuous process during monsoon and we try to fill as many as we can during dry spells."

Their filler of choice — paver blocks — is a debatable solution. In the past, MMRDA, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Public Works Department (PWD) have received flak for using them as they are not floored properly, resulting in uneven roads; and because they cannot withstand heavy traffic movement.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was even filed in Bombay High Court seeking a ban on the use of paver blocks for filling up of potholes. However, the court left the decision up to the state government.

Subsequently, BMC scrapped the use of paver blocks for relayering roads or filling potholes on major roads, saving it for internal roads and footpaths which don't experience heavy traffic movement.

"We agree that paver blocks should not be used on a highway that connects not only parts of the city, but runs to another state," said a senior MMRDA official, adding, "but it is a temporary solution to provide relief to commuters. Laying of tar or cement is not possible during the monsoon. We are using cold mix asphalt wherever possible and also aggregates with emulsion to fill up cracks or small potholes."

Last year, MMRDA had undertaken a pilot project of filling potholes using a mix of crushed tyres and fine rubber crumb mixed with bitumen. This, however, has not been adopted thereafter.

Motorists are angered by the inequality of quality between road. "No potholes are reported on Bandra-Worli Sea-Link," said Rohit Ahuja, a Goregaon resident. "So why are our major city roads full of potholes after rain?"

Pit Stop

Officially, 350 potholes were reported on the Dahisar-Andheri stretch within the first 10 days of July. MMRDA claims to have filled 305 of them.