Rains Woes in Mumbai: Waterlogging and Traffic Chaos Grips Sion, Dadar, Andheri, & Other Areas

Mumbai: The city witnessed heavy rains on Friday, causing waterlogging in Sion, Dadar’s Hindmata, Matunga, Chembur, Dharavi, Powai and Andheri areas. While the roads were off-limits for pedestrians, the situation was even worse for motorists. To make matters worse at the Western Express Highway (WEH), a dumper mixer broke down in the afternoon in Kandivali’s Samta Nagar. It crashed near the divider, disrupting traffic at both bonds for almost 20-30 minutes.

Major traffic snarls

Due to heavy waterlogging at Andheri’s Veera Desai Road, the entire stretch witnessed a major traffic snarl. The problem on this route, which majorly connects to the WEH via Jogeshwari, had a cascading effect on traffic moving ahead. Consequently, vehicular movement moved at a snail's pace at the Jogeshwari’s SV Road. Commuters lamented that it took them at least 50 minutes-1 hour to cross just 5km in both directions. 

The Andheri subway, a crucial connector, was inundated up to three feet and shut down for several hours. Harried motorists were diverted towards the SV Road, which was already congested owing to the traffic flow from Jogeshwari.

Similarly at Powai, vehicles waded through parts of Hiranandani Gardens, which were submerged in ankle-length water. The woes extended up to Powai's entry point at the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR). The problem worsened during evening peak hours as there was a huge traffic backlog at the WEH and JVLR.

As rains intensified, areas of Sion, Matunga, Chembur, and Dharavi were waterlogged till knee-length, prompting authorities to divert motorists. Santacruz’s Vakola flyover reported slow traffic movement, followed by the Vile Parle flyover. The Andheri-Kurla Road, known to be a traffic hotspot, was submerged the entire day.