96 Buildings in South Mumbai Deemed Extremely Dangerous: MHADA Urges Immediate Evacuation

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has released a list of 96 residential buildings in South Mumbai that are deemed extremely dangerous and in need of immediate evacuation. MHADA has urged residents to vacate these structures before the onset of the monsoon.

Separately, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has identified 134 additional dilapidated buildings across the city and has issued urgent eviction notices to occupants.

In 2024, MHADA had issued a similar list of 20 extremely dangerous buildings, and BMC had identified 188 dilapidated buildings across the city.

According to MHADA officials, the 20 most dangerous buildings are located in areas such as Girgaum, Kalbadevi, Khetwadi, Chowpatty, Prabhadevi, Mazgaon, Dadar, Matunga, Parel, and Lalbag. These 96 high-risk buildings house a total of 3,162 tenants.

In a statement, the MHADA said, 'Regular pre-monsoon surveys of old and dilapidated cessed buildings in Mumbai City under MHADA's Mumbai Building Repair and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB) have been completed, and this year, 96 buildings have been found to be extremely dangerous. These include two buildings that were declared high-risk last year in 2024.'

Every year, ahead of the monsoon, MHADA conducts a pre-monsoon structural audit to identify buildings that pose a safety risk. Based on the findings, MHADA issues evacuation notices to residents of buildings deemed ‘dangerous.’

To support affected residents, MHADA offers transit tenements in alternative locations. However, many occupants resist relocation due to location preferences, community ties, and other social concerns. Redevelopment of such dilapidated structures remains a long-standing challenge in Mumbai's real estate sector, with frequent incidents of building collapses reported during the monsoon.

Earlier this month, MHADA urged residents, housing societies, and landlords of 13,091 old and unsafe buildings to initiate redevelopment. The authority emphasized that many of these cessed buildings, under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board, are structurally unfit for habitation and pose significant risks during the monsoon season.