The past few weeks have brought into the public domain shocking details of what has come to be called the Mithi River scam in Mumbai. The centrality of this river, which runs for about 18 kilometres from the hills in the city’s north and drains out into the Arabian Sea carrying the city’s rainwater, had never diminished but was reinforced in the horrific floods on July 26, 2005. That day, the swollen and heavily silted river, with encroachments of all kinds on its banks, made it impossible for the more-than-usual rainwater to drain. Since then, cleaning the Mithi and preventing construction on its floodplains have been key aspects of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s efforts to prevent flooding.........

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