Mithi River Faces Revival Amid Mumbai’s Urban Crisis

A modest yet indispensable river traversing the heart of Mumbai, the Mithi River today is a story of neglect, environmental discolouration, and urban pressures. Emerging from the overflow of Vihar and Powai lakes, the 18-kilometre-long river once formed part of the city's natural storm drainage system and was of cultural significance to the population settled along its courses. Over the decades, however, the river transformed from a life-giving waterway to one of Mumbai’s most polluted water bodies, becoming a symbol of unchecked urbanisation and environmental mismanagement.

The Mithi River’s decline is closely tied to Mumbai’s rapid growth and industrialisation. Gnawing its way through middle urban sectors like Powai, Saki Naka, Kurla, Dharavi, and the Bandra-Kurla Complex, the river has been relentlessly attacked by unrelenting encroachment, illicit building, and haphazard dumping. Industries, slum concentrations, and civic apathy turned the river into a vehicle for untreated sewage, industrial effluents, plastic refuse, and even oil sludge. As the city expanded around it, the river became narrower, its depth diminished, and its ability to carry stormwater runoff during monsoons drastically reduced.

This deterioration had brought attention until 26 July 2005, when disaster hit. A record cloudburst pounded Mumbai, inundating big areas of the city and paralyzing day-to-day life. The Mithi River, clogged with dirt and reduced in breadth by encroachment, burst its banks, hitting a key contribution to the extent of the devastation. The devastating flood brought the state of the river into national limelight. It raised shrill demands for its rejuvenation.

The Maharashtra state government, in their turn, established the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority (MRDPA) under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The task was Herculean: to restore the ecological health of the river and shield the city against impending flood risks. The proposal was to widen the riverbed and deep dredge it, demolish illegal constructions, intercept and divert sewage lines, and desilting operations for better flow during monsoons. Additionally, awareness campaigns and small community clean-up activities began to engage residents in the effort of taking back the river.

Despite all of these initiatives, progress has been slow and hindered by obstacles. Coordination among several civic organizations, each of which is charged with a different part of the river's management, has been one of the most glaring obstacles. In addition, political agendas, constant construction, and lackadaisical policy enforcement have delayed long-term change. Encroachments still persist, dumping of trash still occurs, and untreated sewage still flows into the river.

However, all is not gloom. Green activists and ordinary citizens have worked over the past few years to revitalize the river's ecosystem. Steps taken include the planting of native plants along its banks, floating booms that will catch plastic, and experiments with bioremediation processes for cleaning polluted water. Campaigner Rajendra Singh and other "water warriors" have called for a more holy approach—one that considers rivers as living entities and not open sewers.

Eco-potential of the river is also being increasingly realized. Mahim Creek where the Mithi flows into Arabian Sea is a vital mangrove cover and a shingle against sea rise and erosion of coast. A clean Mithi would restore this brackish habitat to Mumbai, providing it with flood protection as well as ecological equilibrium.

In addition, the discussion of climate resilience has added fresh significance to the rejuvenation of Mithi. As Mumbai struggles with rising rainfall uncertainty, sea-level rise, and heat stress, natural water bodies such as the Mithi are being reconsidered as vital resources. Their potential to filter excess rainwater, replenish groundwater, and support urban biodiversity places them at the very heart of the city's sustainable future.

In its present state, the Mithi River is the face of crisis and hope for urban environmental governance. As it keeps flowing under flyovers and abandoned urban spaces, so too is it the decision Mumbai has to make: whether to let its rivers die from development pressure or bring them back to life as life-sustaining rivers. The arrival of Mithi is not the story of one river; it is the re-redistribution of nature and city that Mumbai cannot envision anymore without.