The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has appointed two new contractors to accelerate the desilting of the Mithi River after missing previous deadlines due to investigations and weather-related setbacks. With just over 64% of the targeted silt removed, officials aim to fast-track remaining works ahead of peak monsoon.
Mumbai’s Mithi River, an 18-kilometre-long watercourse winding through the city, serves as a critical stormwater drain during the monsoon. Its role in preventing urban flooding, especially during heavy rainfall episodes, is vital to the city’s climate resilience framework. Desilting operations, which began in April as part of Mumbai’s annual pre-monsoon preparedness strategy, have faced multiple disruptions this year—first from corruption probes and later from heavy rains. According to civic officials, the desilting operation is being conducted in three major phases, spread over the financial years 2025 to 2027. The overall project is estimated to cost around ₹100 crore. However, administrative delays and a police investigation into alleged irregularities involving past contractors have severely slowed progress. Additionally, one firm engaged for the work was recently blacklisted for malpractices, leading to a vacuum in execution during the critical weeks of May.
The project received a further setback when torrential rains on May 26 rendered most machinery inoperable for several days. With swollen riverbanks and saturated ground conditions, the accessibility of key desilting sites became a challenge. The result was a cascading delay in scheduled works, prompting civic authorities to extend the deadline to June 7. As the extended timeline approached without full resolution, BMC moved to appoint two new contractors tasked specifically with completing desilting in the most waterlogged stretches. Civic officials confirmed that the new contractors have been given clear instructions to complete the remaining work within 15 days.
To date, 1.36 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of silt have been removed from the river, against a target of 2.14 lakh MT—an overall completion rate of just over 64%. Across Mumbai, desilting operations have cleared 8.24 lakh MT of silt from the city’s drainage systems, out of a cumulative target of 9.69 lakh MT. Authorities said that work in the island city, as well as eastern and western suburbs, has been completed in full. The BMC’s stormwater management strategy hinges on timely and effective clearance of natural and artificial drains across the city. Officials confirmed that over 75% of the desilting in minor drains has also been completed, with 3.01 lakh MT cleared from the total target of 3.96 lakh MT. This work is being closely monitored using real-time GPS tracking and site inspections by ward-level officers.
Desilting the Mithi River remains one of Mumbai’s most politically and environmentally sensitive urban projects. The river, which passes through key industrial, commercial, and slum zones, came under sharp scrutiny after the catastrophic floods of July 2005. The event, caused by nearly 944 mm of rainfall in a single day, was partly attributed to the clogging of the Mithi’s flow due to unchecked dumping and neglected desilting. Since then, the river has figured centrally in the city’s long-term urban flood mitigation plans. Despite frequent announcements of large-scale clean-up efforts, successive audits have flagged gaps in execution. In many sections, concretisation and encroachment have also altered the river’s natural drainage capacity, making it harder to maintain even minimum flow levels during dry months.
Experts note that delays in desilting—especially in high-risk pre-monsoon periods—could significantly increase the chances of flash floods in low-lying areas such as Kurla, Sion, Bandra-Kurla Complex and Dharavi. Officials insist that the appointment of new contractors and tighter monitoring of on-ground activity will ensure that remaining works are completed well before heavy rainfall intensifies in late June. However, concerns persist over systemic issues in the way Mithi River management is carried out. Environmental analysts have long criticised the lack of a unified river management authority. Multiple civic agencies, including the BMC, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and state water resources departments, share overlapping jurisdiction—often leading to inefficiencies.
Some civic engineers argue that the recurring delays year after year point to a more structural problem of short-term fixes rather than long-term hydrological planning. Desilting as a standalone activity, they say, cannot resolve the deeper issues of sedimentation and pollution. Solid waste continues to enter the river from informal settlements, and industrial discharge remains inadequately regulated in some sections. Nonetheless, the BMC has reiterated its commitment to ensuring a flood-safe monsoon season. Senior civic officials have confirmed daily progress reviews, with contractors now working on double shifts to make up for lost time. A robust complaint redressal system has also been activated for citizens to report clogged drains or waterlogging in their localities.
The success of this accelerated effort will be put to test as the Indian Meteorological Department has forecast an above-average monsoon this year. The city’s flood-prone zones—many of them linked to the Mithi River’s overflow—will require vigilant monitoring through real-time weather data, drone inspections, and better coordination between disaster response teams and civic engineers. As Mumbai prepares for the full force of the monsoon, the pace and efficiency of projects like the Mithi desilting will determine not just daily urban convenience but also the city’s resilience against increasingly erratic climate patterns. Whether the new contractors can deliver on this high-stakes assignment remains a critical concern for millions of Mumbaikars watching the skies—and the river—with growing unease.
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