Over the years the coast has borne the burden of urbanization through various and constant developmental projects. Making environmental health weaker and weaker.

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Sustaining the coastal health is crucial in order to protect the city from the wrath of extreme climatic events. Koliwadas being the closest to the sea are the ones most affected. Vast and diverse marine ecosystems also reside here, who are faced with the same threat. Dwindling marine populations and loss of biodiversity has become a matter of grave concern.

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The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules are formulated to ensure the further damage does not lead to the destruction of our coastline. CRZ stated a clear distance of 500m should be maintained. Which has since been reduced to 50m. The livelihood and housing of native fisherfolk is an important aspect of CRZ for their protection. The encroachment blatantly violates the CRZ rules. Land grabs lead to severe environmental consequences. The native fishers are known to protect and worship the sea. Their lives and livelihood are deeply intertwined with nature, their fishing periods depend on the phases of the moon, they do not fish during fish breeding periods. 

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In order to protect the city’s coastline, safeguarding the koliwadas settlement and land becomes extremely imperative.

At present the koliwadas accommodate crowded and messy settlements. With lanes not wide enough for emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire brigades to reach their houses. A concern highlighted by the fact that most koliwadas do not have nearby accessible healthcare facilities. Neither do they have educational institutes. 

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Improper drainage systems and bare minimal installation of water facility and electricity, form the base to holding together Mumbai’s earliest settlements. A dire need arises to strategize and formulate appropriate guidelines in order to unfold a sustainable development through Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPRs) in the koliwadas.

Draft Housing Policy, 2024 

The policy provisions for the redevelopment of Gaothans lack clarity and fail to address the complex issues, living patterns, existing settlements, or the specific needs of the community. The proposed measures are overly simplistic and do not adequately consider these factors.

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• Section 4.13.4 references Regulation 33(16) of the DCPR, which lacks special provisions for Gaothan communities, despite the BMC receiving thousands of requests and suggestions from these communities for tailored DCRs. The current regulation yet does not address their specific needs.

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• There is no correlation between the PMAY scheme and the redevelopment of Gaothans, as these communities require a comprehensive plan that addresses their living, livelihood, and settlement needs.

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• PMAY-U focuses on slum redevelopment and providing affordable housing to families without a pucca house, which does not align with the needs of Gaothan residents. Additionally, many Gaothan families already own pucca houses, making them ineligible for PMAY benefits.

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• Cluster Development approach in section 4.13.4 (b) is a highly questionable approach as it marginalizes communities who prefer improvements to their existing living conditions over large-scale redevelopment. They seek better infrastructure, minor alterations, and consolidation of uses, while maintaining their livelihoods.

A solution to community Empowerment 

• To allow and facilitate the community to self-develop, using a palette of measures such as incremental expansion, upgradation of trunk and sanitation infrastructure, community land reserve, heritage conservation etc.

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• The community is in urgent need of special DCRs based on their specific settlement conditions and requirements ensuring that the communities are able retain their indigenous character, enhance their livelihoods and create a healthy and sustainable self-development model for their settlements.