City: Mumbai

Article 21 of the Constitution is interpreted as the right to safe drinking water for all citizens, even as Mumbai residents have struggled with an unequal and unreliable water supply. But from May 1st, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) has started to change this with its new water policy. BMC’s new ‘water for all’ policy will ensure all residents - including illegal, informal settlements, buildings without occupation certificates (OC) and pavement dwellers - are eligible for water connections. An estimated 2 million+ people in 150 slums do not have access to adequate water, and 50% of buildings (over 50,000) in…

BMC to launch 4 new initiatives for children studying in BMC schools On 11th May, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and its education department launched four new initiatives in their schools. The initiatives include awareness programs and workshops for diabetes, mental and dental health. They also include making infrastructural changes to the inside and outside of the schools to make access to them safe. The safe access to schools initiative was created as Mumbai Public Schools are usually located around areas where there is heavy traffic flow. It will cover introducing safer options for commuting to schools, and also childrens’…

Between March 6th and April 16th, the Mumbai police started a drive to clear streets of abandoned vehicles, an issue that has caused nuisance across the city. Known as the Khatara Hatao campaign, they seized about 10,496 vehicles, as per information shared by the Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey on his Twitter handle. As part of this drive, the Mumbai police tows away abandoned vehicles to a dump yard and sends notices to the vehicle’s registered owners asking them to claim them back within a month, failing which the vehicles would be auctioned. “Most of these abandoned vehicles are in…

Mumbai has had a rough start to the summer. Along with the rest of the country, a heat wave in the city began in March, as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Santacruz observatory recorded a temperature of 39.4 degrees Celsius (°C). A lack of pre-monsoon showers and warm, dry winds from northwest India have been the causes, driven by climate change. Another three heat waves followed, when the peak season for them, May, is yet to pass. The high minimum and maximum temperatures have meant that the city has spent the majority of the two months without any respite. This…

As Mumbai returns to normal after the COVID pandemic, offices and schools have reopened. With them, the number of commuters travelling through public transport is steadily approaching pre-pandemic levels. 30 lakh people boarded the BEST buses daily in April 2022, and the number will soon cross 35 lakh. 70-72 lakh passengers travelled on the suburban railway every day, just 6-8 lakh shy of the 2019 figures. The familiar scenes of congestion have returned. Mumbai’s suburban railways are known for the often dangerous rush hour, for which the term ‘super dense crush load’ was coined. Over 16 people stand chest-to-chest on each square…

We're currently living in a climate crisis. Temperatures are rising and waste in Mumbai is piling up. While policy changes and government intervention are important to combating the future impact of the crisis, there is a lot we can do as individuals to reduce emissions and be more climate-conscious.  In a city like Mumbai, people wonder if it is possible to live a low-waste and sustainable life. After trying it myself, I’ve realised that it’s not as difficult as I had imagined. Sustainability is merely a mindful choice, more than anything else. There are many options in Mumbai to support…

Failed power lines cause outages in parts of Navi Mumbai and Panvel On 5th May, a 400 kilovolt transmission line that runs from Kharghar to Talegaon tripped, causing power outages in areas surrounding Vashi and Panvel. The outages wreaked havoc in the neighbourhood due to the hot weather. This is the 4th time in two years that the power lines have tripped, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen the transmission corridor that provides Mumbai with electricity from 5 entry points. The union power ministry has asked the state to expedite work on 3 new corridors that will ensure this doesn’t…

“The future of our country depends on the leaders and the government,” said Krishna Pande, a student of KC college. The youth of our country play an important role in shaping how our society will live to function in the future, and so, inviting their opinions on urban policies and civic governance is key.  The current state of affairs in Mumbai highlights the need for participatory governance. Often, decisions on matters of key importance - whether environment or infrastructure - are taken without due consultation from citizens who are inevitably impacted by them. Like the introduction of Advanced Locality Managements…

Rising temperatures have engulfed the country. On April 28th, Mumbai recorded the highest daily temperature at 37 degrees Celsius, creating unbearable circumstances for those uniquely vulnerable to the heat, particularly informal workers. The lack of a comprehensive Heat Action Plan (HAP) in the city is increasing the effects of the heatwave on the health of those directly exposed to the sun for long hours. To be able to conduct their businesses, street vendors in Mumbai adapt to these conditions and find unique ways to cope with the heat. Citizen Matters spoke to different vendors to understand their methods. Deepak and…

For years now, Mumbaikars have travelled on roads through barricades exclaiming, "Mumbai is upgrading." After 8 years of waiting, the city finally witnessed the results of metro construction that revealed itself on April 2nd, with the launch of the metro lines 2A and 7, between Dahisar and DN Nagar and Dahisar and Andheri East respectively. By the end of 2025, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has promised a 200 km long network of the Mumbai metro. Across the north-south and east-west axis, Line 2A, 2B, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9 are expected to carry millions of commuters…