The death of 55-year-old Aslam Shaikh, who fell into an open manhole in Saki Naka during heavy rain, has once again highlighted serious concerns over the safety of Mumbai's manholes.
The incident has renewed criticism of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over delays in installing protective safety grilles across the city.
According to BMC data, Mumbai has 103,926 manholes connected to stormwater drains, sewer lines and other civic infrastructure. Of these, 96,383 have been fitted with protective safety grilles. However, 4,446 manholes remain without protective covers after they were reopened for ongoing road concreting works, leaving them exposed during the monsoon.
The civic body had decided several years ago to install safety grilles on all manholes to prevent fatal accidents. Despite repeated incidents over the years, the remaining installations have yet to be completed, raising concerns about public safety during the rainy season. Opposition leaders and residents have urged the BMC to complete the work on a war footing and conduct a comprehensive safety audit of all open manholes.
Mumbai has witnessed several fatal manhole-related accidents in recent years, including the death of noted gastroenterologist Dr. Deepak Amrapurkar in 2017, along with multiple worker fatalities during sewer maintenance operations. The latest Saki Naka incident has intensified demands for greater accountability and stricter safety measures, with critics arguing that recurring accidents point to systemic negligence in civic infrastructure management.
The BMC has since suspended four officials, ordered a high-level inquiry into Aslam Shaikh's death and directed all 26 municipal wards to conduct a citywide inspection of manholes to prevent similar incidents during the ongoing monsoon.
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