Most of the people who move to Mumbai in search of work and other opportunities are from the poorest parts of North India. They do not have the means to buy or rent formal housing, and end up living in temporary homes in at-risk areas, especially on the hills of Kurla, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Sakinaka, Vikhroli and Bhandup.
Constructed at the foot of these hills or on the side, these houses have a poor foundation and are built from temporary materials. The unplanned construction, complicated by the cutting of hills and surrounding vegetation for development, makes these areas susceptible to landslides during monsoons every year and poses a major threat to life and property.
A 2010 report by the School of Planning and Architecture states that 9.5 percent of Mumbai’s population lives in landslide prone areas.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and other state agencies have constructed retaining walls at various places across the city, but not all vulnerable places have been adequately protected from landslides. While evacuating people from these areas is considered the most viable solution to reduce risks, the hesitation on the part of local residents to leave their homes, however unsafe, and the absence of an alternative disaster-preparedness plan means that Mumbai Incidents like this continue to happen. Disasters and loss of life and property in every monsoon.
Over 291 landslide prone areas, 1 lakh people in danger
BMC’s annual pre-monsoon survey shows that there are 291 landslide sites across Mumbai. More than half of these or 152 landslide prone areas are in Vikhroli and Bhandup.
Environmental and urban activists say continued deforestation, new construction of shanties, flattening of mountain slopes are causing soil instability and erosion, making landslides more likely.
The areas prone to landslides due to exploitation of hills over the years have increased from 285 in 2016 to 291 in 2021.
Right to Information (RTI) Anil Galgali said, “The government needs to show readiness to rehabilitate these slum dwellers so as to protect their lives as well as preserve the hills of the city on which The encroachment is happening fast.” worker, said. Galgali has been raising the issue of rehabilitation of slum dwellers and construction of retaining walls on hill slopes.
According to the RTI data, Galgali said that over a lakh slum dwellers are living in “unsafe” places. “Between 1992 and 2021, 290 people were killed and over 300 injured in landslides. The Mumbai Slum Improvement Board, which conducted a comprehensive survey in 2010, recommended relocating the slum dwellers, but nothing has been done over the years. The construction of the retaining wall is also lagging,” said Galgali.
As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of BMC’s Disaster Management Cell, just before the rains, civic officials issue notices to slum dwellers living in “dangerous” landslide-prone areas, urging them to move to safer places till the monsoon ends. Huh.
In 2020, a report published from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) reported that at least six locations in the city are “highly vulnerable landslide” areas: Bhandup, Vikhroli Parksite, Kurla, Mulund, Jogeshwari, and the hill slopes. Chembur.
Following this, the BMC’s disaster management cell had directed all ward officers, collectors of the city and its suburbs and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to take preventive measures such as construction of retaining walls.
challenges to relocation
After two landslides in Chembur and Vikhroli last month killed 29 people and injured six others, the state government once again decided to expedite the construction of retaining walls on hill slopes to prevent landslides and slums. – To rehabilitate the slum dwellers. Extremely dangerous sites. But rehabilitating slum dwellers and protecting the hills from further encroachment is more complicated than it sounds.
Affordable housing or homes for people from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) is a distant dream in Mumbai, which has the most expensive real estate in India.
According to the 2011 census, more than 50 percent of Mumbai’s population lives in its slums. People living in these areas mostly do unskilled odd jobs, such as painting, carpentry, or work as security guards, house help or drivers to make a living. These people usually prefer to work in high-rise buildings located near slums.
Whenever there is a discussion on resettlement of these slum dwellers from landslide prone areas, many of them refuse to move out fearing loss of livelihood. “I make papads and sell them in Antop Hill and GTB Nagar areas. If we are moved somewhere else, I will lose all my income because I have to start from scratch in a new place where no one knows me. Here, I have been living for the past 30 years and can support my family with my income from selling papads,” said Sakubai Kamble (60), a resident of Antop Hill near Sheikh Mistry Dargah. In 2013, a landslide claimed five lives in the area. Sakubai’s house was also damaged in the incident.
Most of these slums have political support as they are important vote banks. If there is a transfer, the voter base may get messed up. “For elections, like in corporations and assemblies, every little pocket of the voter base is important. These slums enjoy political patronage as they are vote banks,” said a senior BMC official.
In some cases, meanwhile, the redevelopment of these slums has been stuck for many years even after the houses were demolished. “In the Parksite area, a portion of the slum was demolished for redevelopment under the SRA scheme. The residents were paid rent and promised a new house in three to four years. Ten years have passed but there is no sign of development. Such cases scare the slum dwellers,” said Sandeep Yeole, an activist of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan. Indian Express. “The fear of being trapped in transit camps for years or being homeless again discourages people from resettlement.”
BMC officials said these hills come under several agencies including the forest department, collectorate, MHADA and BMC. Landslide accidents have become a regular feature in Mumbai due to the lack of a unified policy to handle these landslide issues.
retaining walls as a solution
Retaining walls are structures designed to contain soil. They are typically used in areas with steep slopes or where construction requires severe shaping of the landscape. These walls have been found to be a very efficient solution against landslides. MHADA is responsible for the construction of such walls in Mumbai. However, over the years the structural stability of such retaining walls in Mumbai has been questioned.
Last month, a landslide occurred in Chembur’s New Bharat Nagar despite the area having a retaining wall. Councilors have attributed such incidents to the absence of regular structural audits after the construction of these walls.
“Though there was a retaining wall, there was a landslide in Chembur. This raises questions about the quality of the wall construction. Requires construction of new walls as well as (structural) audit of existing walls. As the disaster management authority, the BMC should ensure that these walls are checked,” said Prabhakar Shinde, BJP Group leader in BMC and councilor of Mulund said.
Maintenance, MHADA officials said, was another challenge as in many cases slum dwellers have encroached upon these walls. “The purpose of retaining walls is to prevent further erosion of soil from hills resulting from the construction of slums, but in many areas, they have been used on one side of a wall or as a foundation for the construction of some huts. These walls have drain pipes to allow uninterrupted flow of rain water, but that too, in some cases, has been blocked by residents,” said a MHADA official.
While evacuation appears to be the only viable option to save the lives of thousands of slum dwellers living in such areas, the evacuation rate is almost negligible. The state also lacks a risk-communication mechanism to warn residents.
The lack of a participatory platform through which both state and local residents can reach out to each other means that these accidents continue to happen in the city on an annual basis.
What does BMC say?
MUMBAI: Worried over two landslides in a single day and high fatality rate, the municipal corporation, under which the city’s disaster management cell functions, called a review meeting with agencies like MHADA, collector’s office, MMRDA and PWD. About preparing for mid monsoon. Since these landslide-prone sites come under different agencies, the BMC has asked for better coordination among all of them for expediting the construction of new retaining walls, repairing the existing ones and rehabilitating the slum dwellers.
The BMC has decided to appoint a consultant to survey the landslide sites and prepare a report on preventive measures for landslides. They will also find out how many families from at-risk areas will need to be resettled. According to officials, around 20,000 people are living in high-risk landslide sites.
According to the Geological Survey of India (GSI) report on landslides in Mumbai, six areas – Kurla, Chembur, Mulund, Jogeshwari, Vikhroli Park site (Ghatkopar) and Bhandup – have been marked as ‘highly vulnerable landslide’ areas. There are 20 locations in these six regions. “Our primary concern is to find out immediate measures to prevent landslides. The consultant appointed for the survey will suggest measures like strengthening the existing walls and construction of new retaining walls, drains and hill slopes. The entire slum colony will not be shifted to only those who are at high risk, who are affected by the proposed construction of retaining walls or drains,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, in-charge of disaster management cell. Earlier, state Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray had held a meeting with all agencies to expedite all the backlogs on the landslide protection walls and work on an audit of the vulnerability of the area. Thackeray was not available for comment. – Lakshman Singh
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