MUMBAI READER 18

Coastal Ecology And Fishing Community In Mumbai- Hemantkumar A Chouhan, D Parthasarathy And Sarmistha
Pattanaik

• CRZ policy, sustainability And livelihoods

Sustaining the livelihoods of fishing communities and preserving the health of coastal ecosystems and biodiversity
are crucial for the overall sustainability of coastal regions of India.

• CRZ: evolution, amendments and violation

The absence of a clear evaluation of the long term ecological and socioeconomic benefits of maintaining and
conserving coastal ecology and related livelihoods has resulted in problematic urban environmental management
in the region.

Coastal zones as the area of interaction between land and sea are influenced by changes in both terrestrial and the
marine environment.

The 2011 CRZ notification introduces the concept of a Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), to be prepared with
the full involvement and participation of local communities.

The implementation of the CRZ notification of 1991 was by and large ignored by many state governments.

A fundamental demand of the NFF has been that the ‘inalienable right of fishing communities to their habitats’ be
recognized and that they should have representation in decision making.

• Fishing community and their livelihoods

Urbanization and capitalist development has marginalized or impoverished the artisanal fishing community from
their livelihoods and living spaces.

• Rampant violations

In Cuffe Parade in the name of beautification, 60 square metres of land was reclaimed, for the purpose of building
a garden, and dense mangrove cover was destroyed; a clear violation of CRZ I.

In theory, CRZ policies are envisaged to protect not just the environmental health of coastal ecosystems, but also
coastal livelihoods, especially of fishing.

• Social conflicts over resources

The fishing community in Cuffe Parade, consisting of 200 to 250 affected families has long protested against this
reclamation as it took away the sole means of their daily livelihood.

Even as enroachment and displacement facilitated by CRZ violations were taking place, the state failed to take
adequate steps for coastal conservation.

The state’s neglect and failure in effective coastal management also ends up ultimately adversely affecting entire
regional populations through enhanced vulnerability to natural hazards.

• Conclusions
A review of research and voices from the field revealed that CRZ policy is only a paper tiger, and it raises the basic
questions about whom the policy was designed for, and who are actually benefiting from it.

There is a need to have coastal zone management committees that represent local fishing communities.

Mumbai swamp, comparing July 2005 to August 2017- Pankaj Joshi

• Stormwater drainage

Mumbai 's monsoon issues potholes, overflowing drains, flooding are manifestations of a larger fundamental
urban planning issue.

• Natural watershed and drains

To deal with the current capacity of rainfall, it will be better to design and execute the stormwater drain’s capacity
to 100 millimeters per hour.

• Natural open spaces

The proposed RDDP opens up no development zones (NDZs) for construction and advocates building of roads on
mangroves and other natural areas.

• Disaster preparedness: rescue, relief and recovery

Disaster management without a plan is like a Swachch Mumbai without dustbins, a walkable Mumbai without
footpaths, or a digital Mumbai without Internet connectivity for all.

A state made disaster: How Mumbai’s civic body let the rain swallow the city (yet again)- Darryl D’Monte

Despite the July 2005 deluge, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and other authorities are no better
prepared to deal with heavy rain.

• Down the drain

An over 2 decade old plan to revamp the drainage system in the city is still only partially implemented.

• Water everywhere

It was only in 2005 that the city seemingly woke up to the fact that the Mithi, far from being a filthy drain draining
into the Mahim Bay, was actually a river.

The Municipal Corporation reportedly is sitting on INR 61,500 crores of fixed deposits that could have been spent
on building infrastructure and improving city amenities.

Stormwater drainage in Mumbai- Subrata Bhattacharjee

• Findings of the Fact Finding Committee and suggestion: soverall study

Mixing of sewage with stormwater has been strongly objected to.

• Overall study and suggestions

• Design criteria
Design rainfall intensity of 50 mm per hour is good enough for a four hour storm of one in five year storm period.

Mumbai needs to have an adequate spread of hydro metrological observation stations immediately.

Pressures of urbanization and dense developments, including road and pavement developments, have prevented
infiltration of storm water into the ground.

• Brimstowad Report, 1993

For a coastal city on reclaimed lands like Mumbai, pumping has to be an integral part of the stormwater system.

• Mithi River Development

• Modified master plan

The total length of the Mithi River is 17.8 kilometres, out of which length of 11.8 kilometres is in the jurisdiction of
MCGM and the balance of 6 kilometres under MMRDA.

• In recent years, MIthi River has been severely polluted with industrial effluents, solid waste and is clogged
with silt. The backwaters of Mithi flooded during the deluge on 29th August 2017 in Mumbai. Mithi is one
of the crucial parts of Mumbai stormwater drainage system and its cleaning is essential to avoid flooding
in the coming years. The effiicacy of Mithi river cleanup program though imperative, is highly
questionable.

Satellite photos reveal how Mumbai killed its rivers and mangrove forests to risk epic floods- Devjyot Ghoshal

Mumbai dumps 2100 million litres of human waste in the sea daily- Nauzer Bharucha

Civic engineers said around 25% of the citys waste which comes from the slums is not connected to the 1915
kilometers sewer network and go straight into nullahs and creeks.