Challenges in Achieving Mumbai’s Road Washing Target Due to Tanker Shortage
Mumbai, 20th November 2023: Despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s decision to wash major roads in Mumbai to curb dust pollution, the goal of washing 650 km of roads daily faces obstacles. Currently, due to a shortage of tankers, only 50 to 60 km of roads are being washed daily, prompting the hiring of 90 additional tankers to meet the target.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation initiated road washing on November 3, focusing on roads and footpaths wider than 60 feet in all 24 administrative divisions. The plan aimed to wash 676 km of 357 targeted roads regularly. However, the current shortage of tankers has limited daily washing to a smaller stretch of roads, averaging 50 to 60 km. Although 1500 km of roads have been washed to date, the municipal solid waste department intends to increase the daily coverage to 600 km.
With Mumbai’s total road length at approximately 2200 km, the focus is on roads wider than 40 to 60 feet. Information regarding the number of such roads in each division and the required tanker count has been requested from 24 wards. Officials estimate a need for around 120 tankers presently. The municipal corporation currently owns 22 tankers from the solid waste department and seven from the rainwater drainage department, with a combined capacity to wash roads using only 30 tankers. To bridge the gap, an additional 90 tankers will be hired, along with extra manpower for the next five months.
The estimated expenditure for the entire project is 13 crores, with allocated funds for each department to plan road washing in their respective areas. Recycled water, as well as water from ponds, wells, borewells, and the sewage treatment plant at Mahim and Colaba, will be used for the washing process. The daily road washing occurs between 3 am to 6 am, with some sections cleaned in afternoon or evening sessions to minimize traffic disruption. The directive is to complete the road washing within 3 to 4 hours.
