Most of western India turns into conscious of the approaching monsoon with a fall in temperature adopted by nice raindrops and petrichor. For Mumbaikars, nevertheless, the approaching monsoon is heralded by information reviews of politicians visiting desilting websites and posing earlier than JCBs for photograph alternatives. It’s adopted by the information of multi-crore tenders for the work, official claims in regards to the velocity of desilting, and reassurances that the town is being ready for the wet season. For the previous 20 years, the Mithi river has been the point of interest of this annual train.
Mithi in Hindi means candy. In Marathi, Mithi means a hug. The river Mithi originates from the overflow of Vihar Lake, joins the overflow from Powai Lake two kilometres down the road, and flows on to fulfill the Mahim Creek, an inlet of the Arabian Sea, after traversing a complete size of 18 km. Industrial complexes and residential colonies flank this seasonal river. Slums, unlawful garages, and scrap companies add to its air pollution. Work on cleansing and defending the Mithi began in 2005, following the deluge of July 26, when 944 mm of rain fell in 24 hours, killing 1,000 individuals in Mumbai. The worst harm befell alongside the Mithi, drawing consideration to the dying river. A rush of bulletins from the State authorities, the Mumbai Metropolitan Area Improvement Authority (MMRDA), and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Company (BMC) on cleansing and rejuvenating the river quickly adopted. The State authorities shaped the Mithi River Improvement and Safety Authority (MRDPA), which was tasked with coordinating the work between the MMRDA and the BMC.
A complete of Rs.1,150 crore has been spent on the cleansing train up to now 20 years: the MMRDA spent Rs.504 crore and the BMC, Rs.646 crore. A repeat of the 2005 catastrophe could appear unlikely, however the work on cleansing the Mithi stays incomplete. The BMC, which determined to construct service roads alongside each side of the river, has laid out roads for under 3.18 km towards the deliberate 12.5 km. A safety wall has been constructed over 17.3 km towards the deliberate 21.4 km.
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The MMRDA was to scrub the river waters and preserve water high quality. Through the years, a number of businesses have been appointed for the duty, and worldwide tenders have been floated. But, the air pollution degree continues to be excessive. An consciousness marketing campaign geared toward sensitising riverbank residents has met with restricted success.
In 2017, the BMC began a four-phased venture to divert 285 MLD of sewage from flowing into the Mithi basin and channel it into the town’s sewage system. Solely the primary part was accomplished. Within the remaining three phases, a 8.3-km sewer line, a 7-km retaining wall, 25 interceptors, a sewage pumping station, and gate pumps at 25 areas are deliberate. The tender for the fourth part was floated in February 2025. However all these efforts have didn’t deliver in regards to the desired adjustments.
Untreated industrial waste flows into the Mithi beneath the Saki Naka bridge in Andheri (East).
| Picture Credit score:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Specialists imagine that the problem is advanced and the cleansing effort can succeed solely by bigger public participation, real dedication from the authorities, and a scientific strategy.
Akanksha Dandekar, an environmentalist from Mumbai, mentioned: “Mithi is an city river. So, like all different city rivers, it comes with its personal issues together with air pollution, sewage techniques [that drain into it], in addition to uncontrolled and fixed encroachment. The authorities have divided these issues as per their line of obligation. So, there isn’t a complete strategy to scrub the river.”
One other veteran environmentalist from Mumbai, Girish Raut, mentioned: “Stopping sewage getting into Mithi should be the pressing precedence. The BMC introduced cleansing up of Mithi in 2005 and began engaged on sewage plans in 2018. This delay explains the whole lot.”
Battle for BMC
Greater than 15 lakh individuals keep on each side of the Mithi river, and half of them have companies there—motor garages, scrap buying and selling, and dealing in reused plastic. Arundhati Sankhla, who’s an city planner, mentioned: “Do the authorities have any plans to relocate these companies? Individuals, largely unemployed and unskilled, maintain coming to those locations seeking work. Stopping the encroachment alongside the riverbank and prohibiting such companies is a should.” A retired BMC officer, who labored in Kurla over the last decade, agreed: “It’s a identified reality. However political strain and the behind-the-scenes nexus of officers, native leaders, and the police are available in the way in which of relocation of those companies.”
Corruption is one other downside. The Financial Offences Wing (EOW) of Maharashtra filed an FIR in Might 2025, naming 13 individuals for allegedly inflicting wrongful losses to the BMC to the tune of Rs.65.54 crore. Primarily based on the EOW’s predicate offence report, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered an Enforcement Case Info Report (ECIR) in Might and commenced an investigation into suspected cash laundering. Three of the 13 individuals concerned are BMC officers, together with deputy chief engineers Prashant Ramgude and Ganesh Bendre, and an official named Prashant Tayshetye. The FIR by EOW additionally named senior executives of the contractors concerned within the desilting venture. Ten individuals from eight personal infrastructure firms are named within the FIR.
However this story isn’t just about corruption. There are additionally political rivalries at play. As a part of its investigations, the ED carried out the searches at a number of areas in Mumbai on June 7, together with the residence of Bollywood actor Dino Morea. The BJP’s Ashish Shelar (chief of the social gathering’s Mumbai unit), former social gathering MP Kirit Somaiyya, and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) spokesperson and MP Naresh Mhaske have mentioned that Morea is a pal of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) chief Aaditya Thackeray. Naresh Mhaske has claimed Morea obtained cash from one of many accused within the case, most likely to bribe some individuals. This has led to hypothesis that Thackeray could possibly be probed too within the subsequent few months.
The actor Dino Morea arrives on the Financial Offences Wing workplace in Mumbai on Might 28, 2025, in reference to the Mithi river desilting rip-off case.
| Picture Credit score:
PTI
The BMC, Asia’s richest civic physique, will go to the polls later this yr. Since 1995, the Shiv Sena has had full management over the BMC. From 1995 to 2017, the Shiv Sena and BJP ran the BMC collectively. In 2017, the 2 events fought civic elections individually; the Shiv Sena acquired 84 seats and BJP 82 within the 228-member civic physique. The Shiv Sena acquired the Mayor’s publish and that of the Standing Committee Chairman. The time period of this physique led to February 2022, however contemporary elections couldn’t happen due to court docket circumstances pending within the Supreme Court docket over the ward delimitation points. In April 2025, the court docket requested the State authorities to carry the elections “in 4 months”.
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The Shiv Sena’s rise in Maharashtra began after it gained the cash-rich BMC in 1995. Mumbai is the social gathering’s founding place and the soul of its organisation. At current, nevertheless, the social gathering goes by one in every of its worst phases. Nearly all of its MLAs are with Eknath Shinde following the 2022 cut up. The Shinde faction is supported by the mighty BJP, which desires to win the BMC election. The Uddhav Thackeray faction gained simply 20 seats within the Meeting elections held in November 2024. Considerably, nevertheless, 10 of these 20 seats are in Mumbai, displaying that Uddhav nonetheless has a base in Mumbai. That’s the reason it is vital for the BJP to weaken the Uddhav faction of the Sena.
Given this context, the measures taken by the EOW and ED are broadly seen as political strikes geared toward exerting strain on the Thackeray household and their supporters on the bottom. Cleansing the Mithi is a delicate difficulty for Mumbaikars, and the failure to take action, even after 20 years, is seen as clear proof of entrenched corruption inside the BMC. The ED searches on the residence of Morea have handed the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) a political alternative—framing the motion much less as an anti-corruption effort and extra as a transfer within the battle for management over the BMC.
