Mumbai: Mumbai, often hailed as the ‘city of dreams,’ attracts millions with its promise of economic opportunities and a better life. With a population of 1.92 crores and over 80 lakh daily commuters, maintaining a hygienic and healthy urban environment is crucial for sustaining productivity and economic participation.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), responsible for providing essential public services, operates with the largest municipal budget among Indian cities. However, a recent whitepaper by the Praja Foundation highlights significant concerns regarding the city’s civic facilities.
Milind Mhaske, CEO of Praja Foundation, emphasized Mumbai's poor performance in the Swachh Survekshan Survey 2023, where the city ranked 189th out of 446 cities with populations over one lakh. “Of the 7,646 public and community toilet blocks, only 33 were inspected, with a mere 0.4% coverage. This is an extremely small number, and the inspection coverage of the toilets needs to be widened to reflect the grassroots reality,” Mhaske stated.
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Eknath Pawar, a member of Praja Foundation, stated, "The BMC should share real-time data with citizens on a single accessible portal at least every quarter. Currently, citizens are unsure where to file complaints due to the lack of public representatives at the local level. The absence of councillors for the past two years, caused by delayed civic elections, has significantly hampered the BMC's efforts to address urban issues."
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The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) sets guidelines for public and community toilet construction, and the annual Swachhata Survekshan assesses sanitation and hygiene. Despite being recognized as ODF+ with a 90% score in clean public toilet facilities, Mumbai's overall ranking is troubling. Among Maharashtra cities, Mumbai ranked 37th and 189th nationally.
These rankings raise serious questions about the city's sanitation infrastructure, particularly for women. On average, there is only one public toilet seat for women for every four seats for men, with areas like C Ward (Marine Lines, Chira Bazar, Girgaon) showing the most alarming imbalance.
Approximately 42% of Mumbai’s population resides in slums, where the availability of community toilets is critical. Currently, one community toilet seat serves 86 men and 81 women on average, far exceeding SBM norms of one seat per 35 male users and 25 female users. H/W Ward (Bandra West and Khar) faces a severe shortage, with only one toilet seat per 443 residents.
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Pollution levels in Mumbai’s coastal waters and air are also alarming. Despite having wastewater treatment plants, pollution levels in the city's rivers, sea, and creeks remain high, with Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Fecal Coliform levels up to five times higher than acceptable norms.
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Air quality has deteriorated, with a 305% increase in public complaints from 2019 to 2023, and not a single month in 2023 recorded good air quality. While overall air quality declined by 22% during the same period. Complaints related to pollution rose by 183% between 2019 and 2023, and by 463% from 2014 to 2023.
Over the past decade, from 2014 to 2023, the total number of complaints in Mumbai increased by 50%. Solid waste management complaints increased by 237%, and stormwater drainage complaints grew by 134% over the past decade.
Despite the BMC Citizen Charter of Mumbai stipulating that civic complaints should be resolved within an average of 6 days, the current average time to close a civic complaint is 32 days.
