The poor condition of the Mithi river was blamed as a primary reason for the June 26, 2005 deluge in Mumbai, as it broke its banks flooding some of the city’s most densely populated areas.
The Mithi river has been dying a slow death. According to the Mithi River Development Authority (MRDA), the river served as an important storm water drain, but has now been reduced to a sewer. It has stressed on the need for strict measures to control pollution, and warned about the river being treated like an open drain in which raw sewage, industrial waste and garbage are discharged unchecked.
Till June 5, only 20 per cent of desilting work on stretches of the Mithi river in the western suburbs has been completed. This slow pace of work could mean flooding in these parts of the city once again.
As usual, the civic body has passed the buck onto the MMRDA, claiming it cannot take any steps to prevent effluent discharge into the river on the 6.5 km stretch that falls under the MMRDA.
Ahead of the monsoon each year, leaders from all political parties visit the river to `take stock’ of the desilting work carried out. But most of these visits have proved to be mere tokenism. These visits need to be replaced by strong political will to crack the whip on the agencies responsible. The Mithi river clean-up should not be limited only to the pre-monsoon period, but should be a continuous process.
