In a move to strengthen public safety during the monsoon and improve civic grievance redressal, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has introduced a dedicated WhatsApp chatbot for reporting open, damaged, or missing manhole covers across Mumbai.
The initiative comes in the wake of mounting criticism over civic safety following the tragic death of 55-year-old daily wage labourer Aslam Shaikh, who fell into an open sewage manhole on Khairani Road in Sakinaka on July 2.
The accident occurred while work to install a protective safety net at the site was underway. The BMC had also assured the Bombay High Court that it would create a dedicated mechanism for reporting open manholes and fallen trees.
Residents can now report hazardous manholes by sending a message to 9324500600 on WhatsApp. To file a complaint, users need to start a chat, select the "Submit Complaint" option, share the location of the affected site, and upload a photograph of the open or damaged manhole.
Once the complaint is registered, the system generates a unique complaint number that can be used to track its status and follow up with the civic authorities.
Apart from the dedicated WhatsApp chatbot, citizens can also register complaints through several other BMC platforms:
Through the general WhatsApp chatbot, residents can report manhole-related issues by sending "Manhole" or "M", while pothole complaints can be registered by sending "Pothole" or "P", along with the location and a photograph.
Those using the 1916 helpline will be guided through the complaint registration process and, if necessary, will receive a link to upload a geo-tagged photograph.
To submit a complaint through the MyBMC MARG app, users should:
The BMC maintains more than one lakh manholes across Mumbai, including nearly 80,000 managed by its Sewerage Operations Department.
According to civic records, 96,383 manholes have already been fitted with protective safety nets. Additionally, around 1,800 manholes that were buried during earlier road works and 4,446 manholes reopened for infrastructure projects are being restored with covers and safety nets as work progresses.
The civic body has urged Mumbai residents to promptly report any open, damaged, or missing manhole covers, particularly during the monsoon, when such hazards pose a greater risk to pedestrians and motorists. Officials believe the dedicated reporting system will help ensure faster complaint registration, improved monitoring, and quicker on-ground action to prevent accidents.