Mumbai: As Mumbai prepares for the long-awaited Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on January 15, 2026, the city stands at a crossroads. After nearly four years under an appointed administrator, Mumbaikars are demanding accountability for issues that have been exacerbated by rapid urban growth and prolonged bureaucratic control.
Here are the five most pressing civic issues faced by the city's residents:
1. Air Quality & Environmental Health
Despite a brief reprieve from unseasonal New Year's rain, Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has frequently dipped into 'unhealthy and severe' categories this winter. The city sees major pollution each day, with dust from the Metro projects and real-estate redevelopment contributing majorly to PM2.5 levels.
2. Infrastructure & Pothole-Ridden Roads
The 'concretisation' of Mumbai's roads remains a primary campaign promise and a primary failure. Commuters continue to face gruelling travel times due to poorly synchronised infrastructure projects and the perennial return of potholes during monsoon months.
3. Public Health & Sanitation
While the BMC announced an ambitious overhaul of health infrastructure, the ground reality for many remains bleak. Several civic surveys in the past have highlighted a severe shortage of public toilets, particularly for women, where the ratio is reportedly 1 seat for every 4 available to men currently.
4. Solid Waste & Drainage Management
Mumbai continues to grapple with saturated landfills and black spots where garbage piles up. Furthermore, the fear of flooding looms every year as the city’s aging colonial-era drainage system struggles to cope with intensified rainfall patterns.
5. Housing & Redevelopment Stagnation
With thousands of residents living in dilapidated buildings or stalled Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects, the 'right to a home' has become a central election theme. Rapid redevelopment is straining existing civic lines, water, sewage and electricity, which were never designed for high-rise densities.
The 2026 election is unique because it follows a period where citizens felt 'voiceless' without elected corporators. The mandate of 2026 will likely depend on which party can move beyond identity politics and offer a concrete, measurable roadmap for these basic civic needs.
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