Mithi River E.V.S. Young Environmentalists Field trip Info sheet. Elsie Gabriel.9967347511

 

Mithi River E.V.S. Young Environmentalists Field trip Info sheet. Elsie Gabriel.9967347511

River Mithi is a river in our very own city of Mumbai . Have you ever heard of it? Have you ever seen it? Come join us on a trail and learn more.  It is a confluence of tail water discharges of Powai  and Vihar lakes. The river is seasonal and swells during the monsoos. The overflowing lakes also contribute to the river flow which is stopped by a dam in other times. During this season the river is a favourite with the fisherfolks who catch large fish that have escaped from the lakes. Fishing is banned there.The river is also a natural drainage channel which carries the excess waters during the monsoons. However it is filthy mainly due to the presence of slums and the discharge of industrial effluents.

Topography-The river originates at Powai and meets the Arabian Sea at Mahim Creek flowing through residential and industrial complexes of Powai, Saki Naka, Kurla,Kalina, Vakola, Bandra-Kurla complex,Dharavi and Mahim over a distance of about 15 km.The river bed is narrow in the initial stretch and is about 10 meters wide but at Bandra-Kurla complex, it is much wider.Ecological importance of the river-Mahim bay area, where Mithi River meets Arabian Sea is a nominated bird sanctuary where migratory birds come for nesting. This part is full of mangroves. When the river was not as polluted as it is today, it used to serve as an important storm water drain for Mumbai but as it has been used as a sewer over the years, its importance as a storm water drain has reduced and on the contrary, it poses as a hazard during high tide bringing polluted water into the city.

Powai lake overflows into the Mithi River during monsoons carrying with it all the silt from the several hills around it,along with sewage,plastic bags and garbage.Pic copyright Elsie Gabriel

 

 

Pollution of the Mithi River-The river is treated as an open drain by citizens who discharge raw sewage, industrial waste and municipal waste unchecked. Besides this, illegal activities of washing of oily drums, discharge of unauthorized hazardous waste are also carried out along the course of this river. Cattle sheds in some areas contribute animal waste. Barrel cleaners, scrap dealers and others dump sludge oil, effluent and garbage in the river. The organic waste, sludge and garbage dumping has reduced the carrying capacity of the river. The water with mixture of sewage and industrial waste is a threat to marine life. The river bed is full of sludge, garbage and vegetation growth like hyacinth in many parts.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has undertaken a cleanliness drive lately so that the floods of July 26, 2005 are not repeated but work seems unfinished as of today.At Mahim, around the still, stagnant waters, just before the river flows under a railway and then a road bridge and meets the creek and then the Arabian sea, the slums jostle with each other in resplendent third world glory – surrounded by huge mounds of plastic bags and assorted garbage, which lie untouched even today.We citizens have to cultivate a civic sense wise enough to do our bit to save the River Mithi for the next generation!Use cloth bags and recycle.Today encroachments,hirise complexes,industries built on& near it;and very slow clean up work at the Mithi still make it a threat to the city!First hand experience of the river is vital for students to feel the pulse of the Mithi ecosystem and know the value of a river in their own city!