Over 22,000 live in landslide-prone areas in Mumbai

NDRF personnel during a search and rescue operation after a landslide at Irshalwadi village in Raigad district, Friday, July 21, 2023. At least 16 people were killed in the incident, according to officials. Credit: PTI Photo

Over 300 people have lost their lives in approximately 30 years in Mumbai due to landslides.

As many as 22,483 people live in places prone to landslides in the city.

Veteran social and RTI activist Anil Galgali has flagged the issue with the Maharashtra government and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

“As many as 22,483 families are living in places prone to landslides. The loss of life and financial loss due to landslides in Mumbai is not new and the state government is not serious about remedying the landslides for the last 12 years. In the last 29 years, 310 people have been killed and more than 300 injured in landslide accidents,” Galgali said.

Regarding landslides, Galgali had earlier warned the Maharashtra government about 327 places in Mumbai, slums in hillocks and below hillocks.

Also Read | At least 16 killed, 100 rescued after landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad

In 25 out of 36 constituencies in Mumbai, 257 places are classified as dangerous in hilly areas.

Galgali said the Mumbai Slum Improvement Board had recommended to the Maharashtra government to relocate 9,657 huts out of 22,483 huts in the area as a matter of priority.

It was proposed to protect the remaining huts by building ramparts around the hills.

“Between 1992 and 2023, 310 people died and more than 300 were injured in landslides,” he said.

The Urban Development Department is yet to act on the recommendations of Mumbai Slum Improvement Board, he added.