Just Minutes Apart, Worlds Away: Chandivali’s Garbage Crisis Beside Powai

A short drive is all it takes to move between two very different realities in Mumbai.

When the Newsman team visited Chandivali in Andheri East, covering IRB Road and the long-pending 90 Feet Road, what stood out sharply was its contrast with neighbouring Powai an area known for its high standard of living, planned infrastructure, and relatively better civic services.

Barely minutes away from the Powai border, Chandivali presents a different picture altogether.

A Garbage Mountain on IRB Road

At IRB Road, a roadside garbage pile has grown into what residents describe as a “garbage mountain.” The dump sits along a public road and footpath, obstructing movement, emitting a foul smell, and posing health risks to people living and working nearby.

Residents told the Newsman team that garbage clearance in the area is irregular and poorly monitored. Several said they are left with little choice but to dump waste on the roadside because no consistent or reliable waste management system has been provided.

“BMC does not provide us with a proper waste management solution. That’s why garbage is thrown on the road and footpath, and it keeps piling up,” a resident said.

Citizens Raise Concerns, Accountability Missing

Mandeep Singh Makkar, Founder of the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association, told The Newsman that he has been raising civic issues in the area for years. He said the situation reflects not just a sanitation failure, but also a lack of sustained monitoring and accountability.

“The problem is not awareness,” he said. “It is the absence of follow-up and enforcement.”

A Road That Leads Nowhere

The report also highlighted 90ft DP road , an incomplete stretch that locals say has existed for years with a beginning but no clear end.

Once completed, the Development Plan (DP) road is expected to give residents quicker and easier access to the Jogeshwari–Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), reducing travel time from Chandivali to the highway to about 15 minutes. Currently, congestion forces commuters to spend anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour covering the same distance.

The road is meant to run from Sakinaka to JVLR, easing traffic congestion, offering alternate routes, and providing direct highway access to several residential buildings. However, despite a ₹27.78 crore tender being released and the project receiving necessary approvals, work has yet to begin.

According to the BMC, encroachments have stalled progress. One stretch is occupied by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), while another has slum settlements on land owned by a private builder.

L Ward’s Larger Infrastructure Strain

The delays reflect broader civic challenges in L Ward, one of Mumbai’s most underserved areas. With a population exceeding nine lakh, infrastructure here has struggled to keep pace with growth.

Around 60 per cent of the ward’s population lives in informal settlements, creating what officials describe as a “super slum” dilemma. Areas such as Jari Mari, Bail Bazaar, and Saki Naka face persistent problems including irregular water supply and rising garbage dumping, while Chandivali’s high-rise residents grapple with broken roads, congestion, and increasing air pollution.

Official Responses, Little Change on the Ground

After the ground report was published on social media in collaboration with the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) responded online:

The Ward L office later added, “Thank you for bringing this complaint to our notice. We have informed the relevant department about your complaint.”

Whereas BMC has also replied with their official X account, stating, “We regret your inconvenience. We have intimated.”

However, residents told the Newsman team that there has been no visible change on the ground, and garbage continues to accumulate at the site.

With a ₹4,000-crore waste management tender cleared and BMC elections 2026 approaching, Chandivali’s residents say they are not looking for acknowledgements on social media or temporary clean-ups ahead of polls.

What they want, they say, is consistent action, proper monitoring, and permanent solutions—not new promises made as elections draw closer.