Environment | Citizen Matters, Mumbai

Why Mumbaikars are getting angrier about tree felling

July 16, 2019 Hepzi Anthony

Around 500 people from different walks gathered at a public hearing on July 8th to raise their voices against the proposed felling of 2702 trees in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony. This is just the most recent example of growing citizen engagement and efforts to save the green cover of the city.

Smoggy, but unfazed: Mumbai needs to take air pollution more seriously than it does

June 5, 2019 Apekshita Varshney

For many Mumbaikars, ‘air pollution’ is a Delhi or at most a North Indian problem. Yet, Mumbai air itself says otherwise on many a day. But are city authorities really aware and equipped to take the steps they need to?

Are Mumbaikars prepared for the environmental impact of new coastal projects?

May 15, 2019 Apekshita Varshney

Government and policy makers assume solving Mumbai’s congestion and traffic problems solves everything else. But half a dozen new projects could have far reaching impact on the environment and people’s livelihoods.

Infrastructure and environment battle it out in the maximum city

April 28, 2019 Nikhil S Dixit

Several infrastructure projects are coming up in Mumbai, that could irrevocably damage the city’s coastline and green spaces. While environmentalists allege that projects were announced without public discussion and ignoring the environmental impact, political parties brush aside these concerns

People in this Mumbai slum barely make it to 40; here’s why

April 24, 2019 Apekshita Varshney

For decades, waste has been Mumbai’s teeming, unsolvable problem. Slums around the city’s dumping ground are now Asia’s largest, exposing ragpickers and the general population to serious health risks. All plans and commitments to waste management, meanwhile, appear figurative.

In the news for heavy rains every year, why is Mumbai still water-deficient?

April 6, 2019 Hepzi Anthony

Mumbai currently sources 3.8 billion litres of water per day from seven dams built over lakes in neighbouring districts. It is also familiar with seasonal water cuts. But why does a city with abundant monsoons and flooding every year have such unstable water supply?

Mumbai monsoons: Are citizens passing up a chance to solve the flooding issue?

July 25, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

Heard of Advanced Locality Management (ALM) in Mumbai? It is a programme under which citizens of a locality can get involved and work with the municipality to ensure resolution of civic issues. Can ALMs not work towards solving the city’s annual monsoon misery, one locality at a time?

MNS protest against Mumbai potholes is a bigger attack against pedestrians!

July 23, 2018 Vidyadhar Date

To protest potholes, axe-wielding men of the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) dig up a well-laid footpath. Government authorities evict vendors from station premises and allow car parking in the space. Who cares for the pedestrian in Mumbai?

Life without plastic: Mumbaikars prepare to show the way

June 25, 2018 Arathi Manay Yajaman

The Maharashtra plastic and thermocol ban kicks in today. What is banned? What can happen if you violate the ban? And most importantly, what are your alternatives? A look at how the average Mumbaikar is preparing for life without plastic.