September 1, 2025: Once a pastoral stretch of fields, villages and low-rise homes just beyond Mumbai’s limits, the Vasai–Virar region has, in little more than a decade, been transformed into a sprawling urban mess. The creation of the Vasai–Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) in 2009 marked a watershed moment, signalling that unchecked development had permanently altered the landscape.
That transformation came at a devastating cost when torrential rain lashed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region between August 15 and 19. Vasai–Virar received more than 500 mm of rainfall in just three days. Localities including Evershine City, Vasant Nagari, Nallasopara and Virar were left submerged, with residents stranded in four feet of water. Power supplies were cut for two days, essentials ran out, and three people lost their lives.
The flooding, residents say, was inevitable. Vast stretches of salt pans, ponds and mangroves that once absorbed monsoon downpours have been built over by sprawling townships. Madhuvan Township in Vasai east, for example, stands on reclaimed salt pan land, which previously acted as a natural sponge. “We invested our life savings in this flat for a better life, and now we are staring at floods,” said 65-year-old resident Tara Pandey.
Experts note that the lessons of earlier disasters have been ignored. After catastrophic flooding in 2018, the VVCMC had commissioned IIT-Bombay and NEERI to suggest remedies, including widening drains, building holding ponds, and installing tidal gates. None of these recommendations were acted upon. Proposals for new retention ponds at Nilemore and Vasant Nagari were also abandoned. Instead, the civic body has spent heavily on superficial fixes such as raising road levels.
The absence of planning has had deadly consequences. In August, Ramabai Apartments, a 14-year-old residential block, collapsed, killing 17 people. Meanwhile, 2,500 families were displaced after court-ordered demolitions of Agarwal Nagar, a 41-building township declared illegal. Allegations of collusion between builders and civic officials have intensified: earlier this month, former commissioner Anil Pawar and senior planning official YS Reddy were arrested for their role in an alleged construction cartel.
As construction raced ahead to accommodate Mumbai’s middle class priced out of the city, basic infrastructure in Vasai–Virar has buckled. The drainage system is overstretched, flood control measures are absent, and civic accountability remains elusive.
VVCMC commissioner Manoj Suryavanshi has promised corrective measures, admitting that surveys during the recent flooding have identified “problem areas and pressure points.” For now, however, the focus remains on tackling outbreaks of malaria, dengue and leptospirosis, which threaten the already vulnerable region.
For the people of Vasai–Virar, the question is whether officials will finally prioritise planning over profit, or whether the cycle of flooding, demolition and loss will continue to define daily life in Mumbai’s northern frontier.
Source: Hindustan Times
