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Mumbai: The excavation carried out by the BMC for its underground car parking facility on Mumbai Coastal Road has sparked significant concern among Breach Candy residents. They have reached out to civic officials involved in the coastal project to address worries about sea water seepage due to the digging.
Additionally, environmental activists are questioning the necessity of this parking facility, pointing out that many public parking lots in south Mumbai remain underutilised.
The BMC is building underground parking facilities along the coastal road with a total capacity for 1,857 vehicles at four key locations: Amarsons at Breach Candy, NSCI Worli, near BinduMadhav Thackeray Chowk, and opposite Dr. Annie Besant Road in Worli. Of these, 850 vehicles will be accommodated at the Amarsons exit.
This initiative is part of a larger effort to enhance parking infrastructure and reduce congestion along the coastal route, claims the civic official. However, ongoing sea water seepage resulting from excavation work has raised concerns among Breach Candy residents. They are questioning how much longer the BMC will continue to disrupt the natural environment.
Nigum Lakhani, a resident of Breach Candy, expressed concern: "The rocks here are several thousand years old, and the BMC has dug a deep trench on reclaimed land. This has led to persistent sea water inflow through the ground-level joints. Despite the use of pumps to redirect the water back into the sea, seepage continues unabated. Can the BMC guarantee that they will address and stop this issue? The Breach Candy Resident Association has requested a joint meeting with the engineers involved in the project to discuss their plans for resolving the situation. We are hoping to schedule this meeting for next week."
Another resident voiced concerns, stating, "Excavating a large pit and continuously pumping water out of it could lead to soil subsidence in the surrounding areas, potentially compromising the foundations of neighboring buildings." Zoru Bhathena, an environmental activist, added, "There is an unused public parking lot near Breach Candy Hospital. These projects seem to primarily benefit developers. Why would anyone choose to park there and walk along the coastal road? It doesfn't make sense."
However, a senior civic official stated, "The project is still in the excavation phase, and necessary precautions will be implemented as we progress. Additionally, the sea wall has been constructed using geotextile membranes that are designed to be porous, allowing water to pass through as intended."
