Mumbai: On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the Mumbai Coastal Road to address the problem of leakages in the tunnel. Water was noticed seeping through the walls and roof on Sunday, particularly at the southbound end of the tunnel where there were major leaks. By Monday, Project Head and Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr. Amit Saini, along with a team of experts from L&T, inspected the site. Repair work was carried out overnight to plug the visible leaks.

Explaining what will be done, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, \”Polymer grouting will be done at all 25 joints of the Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel. Though only a few joints were found to be faulty, we will implement a solution for all joints of the functional arm of the tunnel.\” He assured that traffic has not been affected by the leakage.

Mumbai Coastal Undersea Tunnel

\”The leakage is limited to a few joints only, but moss has developed around them. All joints will be checked, and a foolproof permanent solution will be implemented, which should also include suggestions from additional experts to prevent this problem in the future,\” said CM Shinde.

🚨 Water seepage spotted in the Mumbai Coastal Road Tunnel that was inaugurated 2 months ago. pic.twitter.com/LAT7151k8o

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Since Sunday morning, water has been dripping through the tunnel roofs, with several dark patches on the walls where the paint has peeled off due to moisture. Drip lines can be seen extending from these dark patches to the floor, while the edges of holes are visibly wet. Water had collected on the Coastal Road near the Marine Drive end of the tunnel, about 100 meters before its exit.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is still looking for a solution for tidal water entering the Coastal Road\’s pedestrian underpass at Haji Ali. Officials said that cracks in the road near the tunnels are common due to cement shrinking and will be addressed accordingly. This issue came to light after pictures of the Haji Ali underpass showing cracks went viral on social media.

A civic official from the Coastal Road department informed FPJ, \”During high tide, seawater enters the underpass, making it necessary to close it. The underpass level cannot be raised as it has to match the Haji Ali pathway. However, measures like constructing a hump at the entrance of the pedestrian underpass, installing a stormwater drain, and setting up a pumping system can mitigate the issue to a certain extent during the monsoon season. This work is in progress.\”

Social activist Zoru Bathena said, \”They spend crores on each project in the city, but the Corporation seems more interested in beautification rather than quality workmanship. Their tunnel design is so bad that only one lane can be used at both ends, creating a bottleneck that negates the advantage of taking the fast route and leads to more traffic. Spending $1.5 billion USD on a single road and ending up with such inefficiencies amounts to a criminal waste of public funds. This is sheer waste of our money. It is a recurring disgrace and insult to citizens.\”