'This Is Our Own Creation': High Court Says Citizens, Not Just Civic Body, Responsible For Mumbai Waterlogging

Published 8 July 2026 · local

'This Is Our Own Creation': High Court Says Citizens, Not Just Civic Body, Responsible For Mumbai Waterlogging Published By, Last Updated: July 08, 2026, 11:42

'This Is Our Own Creation': High Court Says Citizens, Not Just Civic Body, Responsible For Mumbai Waterlogging Published By, Last Updated: July 08, 2026, 11:42 IST The court said that although the civic body had created drainage networks, footpaths and other public infrastructure, many of these had been encroached upon or misused in Mumbai. Sea waves lash the shoreline near Badhwar Park amid rain, in Mumbai. (Source: PTI) The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) could not be held solely responsible for Mumbai’s recurring waterlogging, observing that citizens also contributed to the problem through encroachments and by blocking drainage systems. The observations were made by a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad while hearing a petition related to the widening of the Sion-Trombay Road in Mumbai, according to Live Law. Also Read: Mumbai Rains Sink Vasai-Virar: 70% Underwater, Lakhs Without Power For 3 Days “Citizens should stop blaming the corporation alone for chronic monsoons and the waterlogging that follows.

This is our own creation," the bench observed. The court said that although the civic body had created drainage networks, footpaths and other public infrastructure, many of these had been encroached upon or misused. It noted that drains were often clogged with waste, while footpaths had been converted into parking spaces and hawking zones. “Our habit is to rob our own motherland. We grab lands, block the gutters and then put up our shops illegally. You can’t walk. What will the corporation do?" the bench observed, according to a Live Law report. The judges also pointed to encroachments outside the High Court building in Mumbai’s Fort area, where photocopy shops, tea stalls and other vendors had occupied footpaths, leaving little space for pedestrians. The bench further remarked that Mumbai was “destined to witness rainwater on the roads" due to widespread encroachments on public land, along with blocked drainage systems. It also criticised what it described as a tendency to seek legal protection only after illegal structures face demolition.

“When the corporation comes for demolition, you want seven days’ notice. Suddenly the law books are opened. But when you grab the land, nobody reads the law," the court remarked. Also Read: Mumbai Rains Today: Tree Falls On Motorist In Andheri, Subway Drowns In 15 Minutes During the hearing, senior advocate Milind Sathe, appearing for the BMC, informed the court that the civic body had already removed encroachments and widened the Sion-Trombay Road near Mandala village in Mankhurd to 30 feet after felling nearly 192 trees. Sathe told the bench that expanding the road to its proposed width of 50 feet would require land owned by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which oversees the nearby Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). He said the BMC was ready to complete the project once the DAE handed over the encroachment-free land. The High Court subsequently issued a notice to the DAE, seeking its response on the proposed road-widening project, and adjourned the matter for further hearing.