Mumbai: Women fall into manhole but clamber out in viral video, covers to be checked

Mumbai: A video of two women falling into an open manhole in separate incidents but escaping with their lives while wading through a water-logged road in Bhandup went viral on Thursday. The BMC could not confirm the authenticity of the video but admitted such an incident had happened at the site on Wednesday.
The women were caught completely unaware as the manhole was on the footpath, but proved lucky as the chamber was not too deep and they did not get swept away by the current.The BMC chief has ordered that all manholes in the city should be inspected again. They are checked as part of the pre-monsoon routine.
“The women were unhurt. However, we immediately informed the roads and storm water drain department, which is supposed to put the Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) manhole covers. Earlier, the BMC used to put cast iron covers but these get stolen and so FRPs are being used instead. However, on days when there is very heavy rain, the FRP can get dislodged by water pressure and float away. Now, the Bhandup cover has been changed,” said Vibhas Acharekar, assistant municipal commissioner of S ward.
The incident brought back memories of Deepak Amrapurkar, a renowned gastroenterologist, drowning after slipping into an open manhole on Elphinstone Road on a heavy rain day in August 2017.