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Govt?s greed caused flooding
The unusual flooding of Mumbai had all been predicted, writes Vir Sanghvi. Mumbaikars' experiences | Share yours
The unprecedented flooding of much of north Mumbai including the airport runways, the airport highway, Kurla, Bandra, Mahim, Kalina and the submergence of the land around the Bandra-Kurla complex had all been predicted. Contrary to the claims made by the government of Maharashtra in the aftermath of the deaths caused by the flooding of the area, none of this should have come as a surprise. Even the closure of the airport should have been regarded as inevitable.
Bittu Sahgal, one of Mumbai's best-known environmentalists, had warned the central government that the plans for the Bandra-Kurla complex would lead to a disaster of this magnitude.
Sahgal was a member of the Expert Committee set up by the Ministry of Environment in the 1990s which looked at the Bandra-Worli Link Road. He objected so strongly to the plans that, eventually, he was dropped from the committee.
According to Sahgal, it was inevitable that the Mithi river which borders the complex would flood its banks during heavy rainfall if the government went ahead with its plans. He had warned the MMRDA which had diverted the river to construct the Bandra-Kurla complex that its plans did not provide for adequate drainage.
For instance, he says, the area where the Mithi river exits at Mahim is now one-third its original size because of the reclamation.
Further, he says, a large mangrove patch between the river and the Bandra-Kurla complex, which provided a natural barrier against flooding, was illegally reclaimed.
Moreover, a lot of the rubble that resulted from the widening of the highways was not removed from the site but disposed of lazily and allowed to clog the drains - another factor that contributed to the flooding.
