Yatra along Mithi to revive the abused river

Photographs and documentation from various sites along the 14-km river, showing the extent of abuse and pollution, will be on display as well. The large-scale destruction of the natural flow of the Mithi was held among the chief offenders on July 26, 2005, when 944 mm of rainfall in a single day caused large portions of the suburbs to remain inundated for three subsequent days.

“The objective is manifold,” said convenor of the Maharashtra wing of Jal Biradari, Janak Daftary, who has been working with various groups of Mumbai residents on the issue of water conservation. “On the one hand, we want to use people’s power to clean up the Mithi, putting to good use the energy we’ve among the citizens since the terror attacks. Instead of simply signing petitions and lighting candles, this is a chance for them to do something measurable,” he said.

Simultaneously, they hope to see the formation of a Mithi Nadi Sansad, or a river Parliament on the lines of what was formed in Rajasthan, eventually leading to the successful resuscitation of the Arvari river just outside Jaipur.

With that, the Mithi river would join the Kosi, Yamuna and other rivers across the country where movements led by the Jal Biradari, launched by Singh in 2001, are attempting to formulate systems for decentralised river management by stakeholder communities.

“The only successful works on the issue of water have all been conducted by people,” said Daftary. “Anybody who needs water can join this movement.”

With officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) — its multi-crore Mithi River Conservation and Redevelopment project remains in limbo — to be invited as well, the organisers hope the participation of average Mumbaiites and activists will push administrators into action.

After the Bombay High Court rapped the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board for the river’s gross neglect in August 2005 following a Public Interest Litigation, the agencies were asked to check the wanton pollution of and encroachments along the river.

In September 2005, over 800 commercial units, many of them unlicensed and dealing with scrap and lubricating oil in Kurla, Santacruz (East), Chembur and Kurla were issued notices. Several were later issued closure notices. No follow-up action from the authorities has been conducted.

In October 2005, the Mithi River Development And Conservation Authority met for the first time. While Phase I of their project, mainly on desilting and widening portions of the river, was completed in record time, not having a court-appointed deadline for the following phases has meant that the clean-up of the river has made little progress.

Photographs taken by environmentalists over a 20-year period and the findings of various reports on the Mithi will also be placed at Kirti College, where the public meeting will be held following the morning ‘yatra’.

“”We hope the movement picks up momentum with people’s participation,” said Daftary. “We can only hope to show the way.”