13. Mumbai

From its ancient origins by the Arabian Sea in the north-west of India, an archipelago of an original set of seven islands adjoins the larger region of Salsette Island.

The coastal city known as Bombay developed as the headquarters of the British East India Company.

From this series of islands, its geography and harbour was reconstituted through a series of land reclamations of Hornby Vellard to form an elongated peninsula from which its strategic significance was to grow with the opening of Suez Canal in 1869.

As described in 1853 by American traveller Bayard Taylor:

“The city is divided into two parts – the Fort, as it is called, being enclosed within the old Portuguese fortifications and surrounded by a moat. It is about a mile in length, extending along the shore of the bay. Outside of the moat is a broad esplanade, beyond which, on the northern side, a new city has grown up… the city within the fort is crowded to excess. Many of the streets are narrow and dark… Southward of the Fort is a tongue of land – formerly the island of Colaba but now connected by a causeway – on which stands the lighthouse. To the north-west, beyond the city, rises Malabar Hill, a long, low height, looking upon the open ocean and completely covered with the gardens and country houses of the native and European merchants. We rode thus for miles around and over Malabar Hill and along the shores of the Indian Ocean, until the hills of Salsette, empurpled by the sunset, shone in the distance.” *

Subsequently, land development around Back Bay and Apollo Bay led to significant changes in urban configuration with real estate development around Marine Drive.

Infrastructure was developed with reservoirs on Malabar Hill, the docks and railways were introduced and grand civic facilities in the centre.

The symbolic landmark of the ‘Gateway of India’ monument was built in 1924, to commemorate the visit of British King George V to the city.

Since Independence and as the capital of Maharashtra State, Mumbai has grown enormously to become commercial capital and financial centre in the region.

In an effort to accommodate these significant growth pressures three topics are worthy of note.

Firstly, in terms of infrastructure, highways are being extenuated outwards with the aim of overcoming congestion but are having to resort to further reclamation or outer development across the bay as the Bandra – Worli Sea Link in order to improve access to the new international airport (BOM).

Underground works are very slowly progressing to realise a new Metro system which is also essential across parts of the city.

Secondly, of particular significance, a satellite city of Navi Mumbai is under development across the Thane Creek connected by the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link with a planned new administrative and commercial zone, new Port at Nhava Sheva and Airport (NMIA).

Necessitating huge infrastructure developments, the possibility of developing an entirely new growth counter pole has not yet really taken off – the benefits of a Special Economic Zone here remain to be proven.

Being developed under the auspices of Maharashtra State, the attractions of modern real estate urban development extensions as at say North Mumbai are hard to compete with.

Thirdly, with a population in the metropolitan area of Mumbai of around 24 million people at a very high density, the demand of housing such large volumes remains challenging.

Located right in the centre is the informal zone of Dharavi, where thousands of inhabitants and young people strive to secure their own form of accommodation and work on vacant land in the absence of proper services, drainage and facilities.

Squeezed between railway lines, insecure and inhuman, sanitary facilities are wholly inadequate for transient dwellers in this mega-city that has its own global aspirations.

*Bayard Taylor – A visit to India, China & Japan in 1853 – London, 1855.