The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said citizens were equally responsible for Mumbai’s recurring waterlogging, observing that rampant encroachments, clogged drainage systems and illegal occupation of public spaces had contributed to the city’s monsoon flooding.

Hearing a petition concerning a road-widening project in Mumbai, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad said the waterlogging problem was “our own creation” and urged citizens to stop blaming the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) alone.

Mumbai Waterlogging ‘Our Own Creation’, Says High Court

The bench said citizens should acknowledge their role in contributing to Mumbai’s chronic waterlogging during the monsoon.

“Citizens should stop blaming the corporation alone for chronic monsoons and the waterlogging that follows. This is our own creation,” the court observed.

The judges noted that the civic body had provided drainage lines, footpaths and other public infrastructure, but residents had encroached upon public spaces and dumped waste into gutters.

Footpaths had also been converted into parking spaces and hawking zones, further affecting public infrastructure and pedestrian movement, the court said.

‘Our Habit Is To Rob Our Own Motherland’: Court

The High Court criticised widespread encroachments and illegal occupation of public land across Mumbai.

“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 cited encroachments outside the High Court building in south Mumbai’s Fort area, where photocopy shops, tea stalls and other vendors had occupied footpaths and left limited space for pedestrians.

The court said Mumbai was “destined to witness rainwater on the roads” because of blocked drainage systems and widespread encroachments on public land.

Court Questions Legal Protection Sought During Demolition Drives

The bench also criticised people who illegally occupy public land but seek legal protection when civic authorities initiate demolition proceedings.

“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.

The judges said illegal occupation of land and public infrastructure had contributed to civic problems faced by Mumbai residents.

Hearing Concerns Widening Of Sion-Trombay Road

The observations came during the hearing of a petition concerning the widening of the Sion-Trombay Road near Mandala village in Mankhurd.

Appearing for the BMC, senior advocate Milind Sathe informed the court that the civic body had cleared encroachments and widened the existing road to 30 feet.

The road-widening work involved the felling of nearly 192 trees.

Sathe said further widening of the road to 50 feet required land belonging to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which oversees the nearby Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

High Court Issues Notice To Department Of Atomic Energy

The BMC told the court that it was prepared to complete the road-widening project if the Department of Atomic Energy provided the required land free of encroachments.

The High Court issued notice to the DAE seeking its response on whether it intended to facilitate the widening of the road.

The bench adjourned the petition for further hearing after seeking the department’s response.

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