Urban Environment
Entire sections of the highway were simply washed away by the swollen Beas, cutting Manali off from the rest of the country. The NHAI now speaks of tunnels and elevated structures as “long-term solutions”, but in the meantime the urgency is about pouring concrete back into the voids gouged by water and landslides. We fix the scar each time, but we do not change the reckless design that ensures the wound will reopen.
As India’s cities continue to grow rapidly, a staggering number of people find themselves living in growing informal settlements.
While the last comprehensive slum census conducted in 2011 showed 65 million people living in slums and other informal settlements, recent estimates suggest the number to be over 100 million, accounting for a quarter of India’s urban population.
A recent study highlighted that India has the world’s highest number of slum clusters in flood-prone areas. https://thewire.in/urban/as-flooding-wreaks-havoc-across-cities-a-nudge-for-urban-policy-to-address-climate-chang
These floods displaced thousands, damaged homes and disrupted the livelihoods of daily-wage workers and small-scale traders who depend on the informal economy. This is not an isolated situation. In Mumbai, the city’s coastal slums face frequent flooding and the growing threat of sea-level rise, disrupting life and livelihood.
The UNDRR Status Report 2020 gets straight to the point: India has a sturdy architecture of laws, policies and institutions on paper but such a scaffold fails at the implementation level. National to state to district level coordination is weak and piecemeal; overlaps in mandates prevail; and disaster management remains more reactive than preventive.
by Namesh Killemsetty, Deepanshu Mohan and Najam Us Saqib
15/09/2025
Mumbai News: Powai Residents To Form Human Chain Around Lake, Demand Action Against Water Hyacinth And Sewage Dumping https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-news-powai-residents-to-form-human-chain-around-lake-demand-action-against-water-hyacinth-and-sewage-dumping On Monday, The Free Press Journal had reported that the BMC has removed around 1,450 metric tonnes of hyacinth using fine harvest machines from the lake in a cleanup drive started from May 23. However, the residents have alleged that the removal of the weed will not effectively solve the entire issue as the weed will keep coming back due to untreated sewage water being dumped in the lake.
A silent "Save Powai Lake" human chain scheduled for Sunday called off as BMS has demanded an event fee of Rs. 11,00 for the protest... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/121699129.cms
Toxic PoP waste lying around Powai lake for over two years https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toxic-pop-waste-lying-around-powai-lake-for-over-two-years/articleshow/121390360.cms More than 60 tonnes of PoP (Plaster of Paris) “harmful” waste has been lying along the circumference of Powai lake, and it has not been removed for more than two years, a city environmental group, Vanashakti, has pointed out.People associated with the group expressed the feeling that the authorities may have forgotten about the mounds of waste which is harming the water body besides polluting the water, This has been brought to the attention of the senior BMC officials for urgent action, said members of the environmental group.
Vijay Singh / Mumbai Mirror / May 25, 2025
A Road To Nowhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM0ypDSp81I INTACH Pune Chapter Apr 15, 2016
With increasing urbanization, often short term solutions are provided without thought to long term effects. The Pune Municipal Corporation planned and constructed a road on Mutha river bed under the garb of providing alternative to already congested Sinhgad road. This is a story of the river, the road and the struggle to ensure safety of citizens.
Mumbai Wakes Up To Layer Of Smog; What is Mumbai's Excuse For Deadly Air Pollution? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICyRjDS8udg | Urban Debate.. Today, municipal commissioner and state-appointed administrator Bhushan Gagrani announced that construction sites will be shut in areas where the air quality index (AQI) breaches 200, which is categorised as "poor," till the air improves. This discussion has been joined by some distinguished panelists. Former CEO Mumbai First Neville Mehta says, Why has the monitoring agency been sleeping all this time? The government is playing with the lives of common people.
Mumbai: Malabar Hill Residents Demand Geological Study & Construction Halt Amid Redevelopment Concerns
Recent developments have also strained infrastructure impacting roads, parking, and water supply in Malabar Hill
SHEFALI PARAB-PANDITUpdated: Sunday, August 04, 2024 "Construction of several high-rise buildings up to 40 floors is underway in the area. Can the Hill withstand this level of excavation and weight? We risk a disaster if we continue to ignore these issues .. Malabar Hill has already experienced two landslides in 2020, along with a road cave in. BG Kher Marg, which connects major junctions in South Mumbai and suffered extensive damage from a landslide, was reopened only after a closure of two and a half years.Recent infrastructure developments in South Mumbai, such as the Mumbai Coastal Road are expected to improve connectivity to the area where the city's affluent residents reside.