Mumbai: Sinkhole Emerges in Andheri East Amid Metro 7A Tunneling, Major Threat to Nearby Buildings, Residents Relocated for Safety

Late on Friday night, the residents of P&T Colony in Andheri East, Mumbai were alarmed when a massive sinkhole appeared on their road. It was soon discovered that this hazardous occurrence was caused by the ongoing tunneling work for Mumbai Metro Line 7A near Sahar Road. 

The incident, which took place on August 23 after 10 pm, involved a section of the road caving in, creating a growing hole right outside residential buildings in the area. The expanding sinkhole understandably terrified residents, as it posed a big threat to the nearby buildings.

Nine families were directly impacted by the cave-in

According to local sources, nine families were directly impacted by the cave-in. In response to the potential danger, authorities promptly relocated these families to a nearby five-star hotel to ensure their safety.

By Saturday afternoon, the sinkhole had been filled by a contractor appointed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the Metro 7A line. This quick action helped to alleviate the immediate risk to the area.

Godfrey Pimenta, a trustee of the Watchdog Foundation, explained the situation further: "The tunneling work for Metro 7A led to a 24-feet deep cave-in, which posed a major threat to the nearby residential buildings. As a precaution, nine families from the nearby P&T Colony were moved to the five-star Hotel Aurika." 

20 truckloads of RCC used to fill the hole

Pimenta emphasized that they had urged the MMRDA and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) to take swift action to prevent a potential disaster. Consequently, the contractor J. Kumar swiftly addressed the cave-in by filling the large hole with approximately 20 truckloads of reinforced cement concrete (RCC).

The Metro Line 7A is a critical part of Mumbai's expanding metro network, linking Andheri East with the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) Terminal 2. The 3.17 km corridor includes both elevated (0.98 km) and underground (2.915 km) sections and serves as an extension of the Metro 7 line, which connects Andheri and Dahisar.