Articles by Hepzi Anthony

Mehul Patel is a harrowed commuter working at the Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai’s central business district (CBD) stretched over four sq km that was supposed to be an alternative to Nariman Point. Every evening, he stands in a long serpentine queue waiting for a bus that would allow him at least standing space. Bumper to bumper evening traffic is a daily reality for him. And it has only gotten worse since the work on the bullet train commenced, not to mention the ongoing metro construction work.  What upsets him is the lack of practical solutions. A few years ago, he…

The surge in student suicides in India has reached an alarming level, with counsellors describing it as an epidemic. Between 2019 and 2021, 35,000 young lives were tragically lost to suicide, as revealed in Parliament. The numbers paint a grim picture, escalating from 10,335 in 2019 to 12,526 in 2020, reaching 13,089 in 2021.  The 2022 NCRB report recorded a total of 13,044 student suicides and stated that over the last decade (2013-22), a total of 103,961 student suicides were recorded. This was a 64% increase compared to the prior decade (2003-12). A report, Student Suicides: An Epidemic Sweeping India,…

In the past few months, heavy traffic jams in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) have led to suggestions of drastic measures. Mumbai’s guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has proposed that the dedicated cycle tracks at BKC be scrapped and merged with the main vehicular road to accommodate more vehicles.  This has led to much debate about the fate of the BKC cycling track, Mumbai’s first and longest stretch of planned cycling track. However, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) is yet to officially declare its intent and whether it will act upon Lodha’s suggestion.  However, the cycling track which…

Three months before the Ganesh festivities, residents of Kandivli’s Lokhandwala noticed disruptions in their walkways. Stalls making Ganpati idols had sprung up on the footpaths around the main Lokhandwala circle, making it difficult to walk. The presence of hawkers further compounded the problem. Unlike the community Ganesh pandals, which appear only a month before the festival and are confined to specific locations, these stalls are numerous and have been permitted to remain until the end of the Navratri festival in October, spanning almost four months. Read more: Soaring noise levels during Ganesh festival underlines the need for citizen action With…

As heavy rains lashed Mumbai for days on end, people suffered the impact of climate change once again because of what we call extreme weather events. And as people struggled to commute and get home, the last thing on their minds was to stop and buy their daily supplies of vegetables from the regular vendor. Rarely does one notice, but when monsoons hit Mumbai, the livelihoods of all the stakeholders of the entire supply chain of perishables right from the transporters to the wholesale and retail vendors are affected by rains, exacerbated by climate change.  Impact of climate change on…

A day before the 19th anniversary of the 26th July deluge, Mumbai recorded the second wettest July ever. Needless to say, the city also witnessed multiple incidents of waterlogging, flooding and disruption in train services and traffic snarls. Some of the explanations for the floods included record heavy rains, climate change, inadequate desilting of drains. There were protests on the ground and outrage on social media.   Incidentally, floods — its causes and solutions in Mumbai — have been studied since 2005, when the biggest and most damaging flood struck Mumbai and claimed 1094 lives after the city witnessed 944.2 mm…

“Does Mumbai feel the need to conserve water?” asked Sanjay Ubale, executive board member of Mumbai First at a conclave about water in Mumbai. With easy availability of water from seven reservoirs, the city has the best per capita water ratio in India, and so, there is less incentive to conserve water or practise rainwater harvesting, he explained. Why would societies spend funds to store water for future use when they are getting water at highly subsidised rates round the year, he asked. Statistics too suggest the same.  Approximately only 3000 societies of the total estimated 20,000 societies in Mumbai…

Mumbai may have witnessed heavy rains but one must not forget that the city is still reeling under a 10% water cut since June 5, 2024. On the one hand water levels in the reservoirs are depleting, and on the other hand rainwater continues to flow out. In such a scenario, rainwater harvesting can be the game changer for Mumbai. If done right, it ensures water supply for individuals, fights larger water crisis and might help reduce floods too.    Urban local bodies (ULB) like the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been encouraging housing societies to set up rainwater harvesting…

As the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts an “above normal" monsoon for Mumbai, the marginalised residing in informal housing along the coastlines start anticipating and preparing for heavy rains. Citizen Matters visited the slums of Ganesh Nagar located on the rocks of Bandstand, Bandra to explore how the marginalised communities residing close to the sea, face the challenge of rising sea levels, heavy floods during the monsoons, worsened by climate change. Proximity to the high tidal waves — some of them have waves lashing right into their doors during the high tides — impacts their daily living. For the residents…

Imagine you are walking around Kala Ghoda, appreciating the heritage architecture, art galleries, food and fashion hotspots, and now imagine that it's a car-free road. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is considering declaring five streets around Kala Ghoda in Colaba car-free for specific hours on weekends. This proposal has come from the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA), which organises the popular Kala Ghoda Festival annually for the past 24 years.  At present, the Rampart Row Street, now officially known as the K Dubash Street, is closed for vehicular access for the nine days of the Kala Ghoda Festival. The KGA has…