Environmental Problems of Mumbai
Environmental Problems of Mumbai
CED
Owi Kale St. Xavier’s College
Environmental Problems of Mumbai
Mumbai- the name conjures up images of high skyscrapers, wide roads, the sea-kissed Marine Drive, a land of opportunity and enterprise. A city full of paradoxes, Mumbai is a microcosm of India in many ways. If one were to ask a set of people to describe the present Mumbai, we would get a wide variety of answers ranging from the financial capital of India to the next target of militant groups. For me, I see a city at a crossroad, deciding which direction to take. One minor part of her is decisively pulling her towards the path marked 'Destruction through development' while a major part of her wants to take the path of 'Sustainable Development' but cannot do so since it is chained to bureaucracy and politics.
The Issue
Pollution, population and lack of space have always been traditionally described as the ultimate problems of Mumbai while relegating the acute problem of environmental degradation into oblivion. However, this slowly-ticking time bomb burst into the face of Mumbai in the form of the deluge on July 26, 2005. Unlike what half the city would like to believe, 26/7 is not a sudden indicator of the environmental mess the city has got itself into. Leopard attacks in a bustling city, landslides, abnormally high temperatures in summers, erratic rainfall have long since warned the city of the impending doom. But we have chosen to ignore it all because it is more convenient to do so.
25
CED In the aftermath of 26/7, several committees have sprung up enquiring into the exact causes of the deluge. They have come up with alarming results and equally alarming future prospects for certain sections of Mumbai namely the construction industry. If we do not act upon these recommendations, our city will certainly soon be history. This project has been an eye-opener for me more than anybody else. The environmental problems of Mumbai have emerged due to the creation of
CED
Owi Kale St. Xavier’s College
Environmental Problems of Mumbai
Mumbai- the name conjures up images of high skyscrapers, wide roads, the sea-kissed Marine Drive, a land of opportunity and enterprise. A city full of paradoxes, Mumbai is a microcosm of India in many ways. If one were to ask a set of people to describe the present Mumbai, we would get a wide variety of answers ranging from the financial capital of India to the next target of militant groups. For me, I see a city at a crossroad, deciding which direction to take. One minor part of her is decisively pulling her towards the path marked 'Destruction through development' while a major part of her wants to take the path of 'Sustainable Development' but cannot do so since it is chained to bureaucracy and politics.
The Issue
Pollution, population and lack of space have always been traditionally described as the ultimate problems of Mumbai while relegating the acute problem of environmental degradation into oblivion. However, this slowly-ticking time bomb burst into the face of Mumbai in the form of the deluge on July 26, 2005. Unlike what half the city would like to believe, 26/7 is not a sudden indicator of the environmental mess the city has got itself into. Leopard attacks in a bustling city, landslides, abnormally high temperatures in summers, erratic rainfall have long since warned the city of the impending doom. But we have chosen to ignore it all because it is more convenient to do so.
25
CED In the aftermath of 26/7, several committees have sprung up enquiring into the exact causes of the deluge. They have come up with alarming results and equally alarming future prospects for certain sections of Mumbai namely the construction industry. If we do not act upon these recommendations, our city will certainly soon be history. This project has been an eye-opener for me more than anybody else. The environmental problems of Mumbai have emerged due to the creation of