Mumbai’s commuters and motorists are all too familiar with the annual return of potholes as soon as the rains arrive. With surface asphalt that seems new just weeks ago already riddled with craters, the city’s roads are once again drawing sharp public scrutiny. Experts from institutions such as the Central Road Research Institute (CSIR) and the Indian Road Congress point to a pattern of systemic failures — from weak drainage to poor materials — that repeat each year.
According to Professor Manoranjan Parida, director at CSIR’s Central Road Research Institute, the primary catalyst for pothole formation is water infiltration. Rainwater penetrates through even minor cracks, destabilising the pavement’s structural layers. “Traffic loading, ageing bitumen, substandard construction, and existing fissures further speed up deterioration,” Prof Parida explained. He highlighted additional compounding factors: insufficient pavement thickness, unstable subgrade soils, and construction during wet conditions .
Echoing that, Girish Jaysing Arekar of the Indian Road Congress noted that repeated thermal expansion during summer and contraction in monsoon lead to micro-cracking. These minute fissures widen with each cycle and ultimately collapse under water pressure. The result, he warns, is potholes that form alarmingly fast in Mumbai’s complex climate .
Architect and urbanist Jagdeep Desai, founder-trustee of the Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai, described how a quality asphalt road requires multiple well-compacted layers. “There should be a damp-proof membrane, even a layer of tar felt or equivalent above compacted rubble, followed by cementitious sub-base and the asphalt surface,” he said . Without strict adherence to these specifications, rainwater seeps in, base layers soften, and surface materials begin to separate as vehicles traverse. Timely sealing and resurfacing under dry conditions are equally essential — a step often skipped in Mumbai’s fast-track patchwork repairs.
Further fuelling the issue is the city’s clogged drainage system. With monsoon water often pooling on surfaces clogged by silt or litter, asphalt remains under water for days. Civil engineer Biju Augustin summarised, “Extended wet conditions weaken the bond in asphalt, traffic loads exploit the weakened surface, and the untreated foundation fails again” .Industry experts generally classify potholes by size: small (up to 25 mm deep), medium (25–50 mm), and large (over 50 mm deep). But beyond nomenclature lies the heart of the issue — the failure to enforce durable construction practices and maintenance protocols.
As Mumbai grapples with dense traffic, shifting temperature extremes, and delayed civic upkeep, experts advocate a composite solution: better materials, strict adherence to construction standards, active drainage maintenance, and pre-monsoon inspections. Until these best practices are institutionalised, fast-forming potholes will persist as yet another toll of the monsoon on the city’s commuting public.
With another monsoon season underway and roads already showing signs of wear, the urgent question is whether municipal authorities will act decisively—or merely patch and repeat yet again.
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