Mumbai’s Mithi River Drowns in Sewage and Corruption
Mumbai’s Mithi River is now an open drain choked by untreated sewage, debris, and corruption. Despite multiple revival promises and crores spent, civic and environmental mismanagement continues. The river, central to the city’s geography and flooding woes, now lies at the heart of an unfolding scam, triggering investigations by EOW, SIT, and the Enforcement Directorate.
Mithi River, born from the Vihar and Powai lakes, once played a vital ecological role in Mumbai’s drainage and water system. But decades of encroachment and unregulated urban expansion, especially near BKC and the airport, narrowed its flow and erased its floodplain. This transformation from a flowing river to a narrow, encased nullah has made since 2005, the BMC and MMRDA have pushed multiple plans to revive Mithi through cleaning, bioremediation, and sewage diversion.
While these proposals were well-funded—some worth over ₹1,100 crore—actual results have remained dismal. Every year, pre-monsoon desilting is claimed to be complete, but locals report recurring floods and foul stench. The bioremediation pilot using live bacteria shows potential, but progress remains slow.Mithi must be treated not as a drain, but as a lifeline.
The Mithi clean-up is now tainted by a multi-crore scam. Investigations reveal that BMC officials, contractors, and middlemen manipulated desilting reports and siphoned off public funds. The EOW registered an FIR in May 2025, booking 13 individuals including BMC engineers, private company heads, and contractors. Even actor Dino Morea was questioned for links to a Kochi-based desilting firm under scrutiny.
The Mithi flows through some of Mumbai’s densest and most critical urban zones—from Powai to Mahim via the airport. Infrastructure projects now compete with its survival. Any lapse—be it encroachment, blocked sewer lines, or poor desilting—has direct repercussions: flash floods, damaged homes, and stalled mobility. With multiple civic agencies involved, accountability remains elusive as environmental consequences mount.
The Mithi River is a mirror to Mumbai’s urban contradictions: ambition without accountability, infrastructure without ecology. While new plans like bioremediation and promenade development offer glimpses of hope, systemic corruption and negligence continue to undercut them. Unless civic bodies embrace transparent governance, scientific planning, and sustained community engagement, the river’s decline will remain an annual civic disaster.
