That the Mithi river,literally the mother of all nullahs in Mumbai,is a foul-smelling black stream snaking its way below the railway tracks at Mahim is now old hat,notwithstanding the few hundred crores being spent on its revival. But an ongoing project by a small group of researchers and activists is now seeking to reclaim the river for Mumbaiites and offer ecological answers to the rivers long abuse instead of engineering solutions. As a sampling,on Tuesday morning,journalists,researchers and a few activists working on issues surrounding water in Mumbai were treated to sights and sounds no Mumbai resident associates with the drain birdcalls,clear water,a clearing for fish-farming,all within the mangroves just off the Mithi. The residents of the city should experience the river,thats foremost, says Gautam Kirtane,a researcher with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) that is set to compile the findings of a several months-long effort to gauge the possibilities the river offers to the city in terms of open spaces and a platform to connect with nature. The report,to be ready in a month,will present a vision for the river that is in consonance with the various policies of the central and state governments on urban transport,urban planning and more. Its a grand plan for a river that is a destination as well as a connector of destinations and has the ability to pull the city together. The garbage,meanwhile,remains. Despite the MMRDAs claim that most of the river has been cleaned,floating garbage as well as thick silt smelling of industrial and home waste are everywhere along the stretch from Mahim creek to Vakola. Janak Daftari of the Jal Biraadari says the Mithi river project saw the river being widened and several stretches dredged,but a wall being constructed alongside the river is not only incongruent but also cuts off water to sections of mangroves. The ORF project seeks to borrow best practices from international experiences with river revival,including that of the Cheonggyecheon in Seoul a few years back. It will also dip into history to describe the degeneration of the Mithi over several decades.
