Pothole-ridden roads across the country are not only a source of annoyance for commuters, but they have resulted in a rising death toll as well; and the incessant rains have only aggravated this issue. Recently, two news apps – Spothole and Meri Sadak, are offering citizens a faster way to report and track potholes around them.

Currently a pilot project in Mumbai, the crowd-funded Spothole app had initially started off as the Fill In The Potholes Project – a campaign that spins a humorous take on the state of roads in the city to drive the attention of the people and authorities towards the problem. This way, users can send images of a pothole they want to fix via the app with the internet or data activated. The app automatically captures the GPS location and sends the picture along with its location to the local authorities. Additionally, there is a feedback function that enables users to keep track of the work being done to fix the reported pothole. This function could also help local bodies keep track of how frequently the pothole resurfaces.

Moreover, Fill in the Potholes Project has joined hands with Mumbai-based Dadarao Bilhore, who lost his 16-year-old son in a pothole-related road accident last year, and has launched an online petition urging the BMC to collaborate with the citizen group. This way, the BMC can also use the app to access potholes reported across Mumbai and take action on the reported potholes that can be filled in better turnaround time. Bilhore has also been using the mobile app’s Google Maps navigation feature to reach to a particular pothole location and fill it up.

A similar app called ‘Meri Sadak’ has been launched under the Pradhan Mantri Graham Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). This app allows users to give feedback regarding the quality and pace of work on PMGSY roads to the related departments in the State Governments or National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA). It enables users to post pictures of the pothole along with its tagged GPS location. The redressal of the feedback can be monitored via this app as well.

The Spothole app is currently available for download on Google Play Store and App Store. Meanwhile, Meri Sadak is only available for download on Google Play Store.