Mumbai monsoon alert: MHADA lists 96 'extremely dangerous' buildings, over 3,000 residents at risk

Mumbai rain (file photo)

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has released a list of 96 old buildings in Mumbai that are in ‘extremely dangerous’ condition and could collapse during the monsoon. These buildings, called cessed buildings, are located in South and Central Mumbai areas like Bora Bazaar, Mohammed Ali Road, Falkland Road, Mazgaon, Girgaum, Khetwadi, and Dadar-Matunga, The Times of India reported.

The department has warned residents and tenants to leave these buildings immediately for their own safety. In total, these 96 buildings house over 3,100 people. So far, 184 tenants have received evacuation notices. Other inhabitants have been served eviction notices too, and Mhada is preparing to shift them to transit camps, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

Every year before the monsoon, MHADA’s Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB) carries out a survey of old buildings to check which ones are unsafe. This year, two buildings that were listed as dangerous last year have appeared again in the 2025 list. MHADA is working to relocate more residents and is preparing to shift them to safer locations.

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."

In addition to MHADA’s list, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also identified 134 other dilapidated buildings around the city and has issued urgent notices to the people living in them. Last year, MHADA had listed 20 dangerous buildings, while BMC listed 188.

MHADA also said that it had earlier reached out to residents, landlords, and housing societies in 13,000 other old buildings, advising them to start redevelopment. These buildings, many of which are over 70 years old, are no longer safe for people to live in, especially during the heavy rains.