What is now the bustling metropolis of Mumbai was a scattered group of islands just a few centuries ago. The accounts, legends and facts surrounding its 150-plus years of reclaiming land from the sea is a reminder of how this came to be known as “the City of Dreams.”

In the mid-17th century, Bombay was a collection of seven major islands, some of which were highly historic—the Isle of Bombay, Colaba, Old Womans Island, Mahim, Mazagaon, Parel, and Worli. So when the British took control of Bombay from the Portuguese in 1665, in hopes of using the strategic area to generate wealth, they found less than 20 square miles of land in their possession.

The Seven Islands
All the seven islands of Bombay and Colaba, a former Portuguese colony, since 1665 of British possession, began in 1672 a long process of land reclamation by building dikes between the narrow intra-island passages with the intention to produce additional area, initially for rice cultivation, agricultural and livestock purposes.

The first Reclamation
Fillings of shallows between Parel, Worli, Bombay, Mahim & Mazgoan in 1790. Where the completion of Mazgaon dock stands out as one of the most essential reclamations in todays time. Within the first reclamation Dharavi also known as the world's largest slums was starting to form.

Back Bay Reclamation Company
Fillings at Mahim Bay, Flats at Matunga, Flats at Nagaum, Tank Bandar, Dockyards, Apollo Bandar & first Back Bay in 1873.

Incremental Pace in Reclamation
In 1918, Fillings at Mahim River, Salt Pans,Hay Bandar, Ballard Estate, Malabar, Cumballa & Second Back Bay were completed. Followed by fillings at Thane Creek Falts, Mahul Creek Falts, Flats at Nagaum, & Third Back Bay in 1940.

Reclamation 1977-2020
From 1977 to 2020, Land reclamation boosted for the city of Mumbai where Bandra-Worli Sealink in 1977 became one of the important roads, nearing 2017, the Nval Dockyard anf Bandra Kurla Complex formed.

Places across the City.
From the stunning Bandra-Worli Sea link to the pristine white Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai's architecture is complex, rich and exceptional. Marine Drive whose lights form an arc resembling a string of pearls dubbed as Queen's Necklace, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus whose Victorian architecture has resiliently stood through more than a century of events from terror attacks to freedom struggles are all symbolic of Mumbai's charm to the rest of the subcontinent.

opportunity • 2020

The economic capital of India is growing at high speed and will need major interventions to at least double its urban land area by the end of the century. Until 2020, 385.6 km2 of territory had been generated by land reclamation techniques in the area of the Mumbai peninsula, and the forecast for this century is to reach 1,000 km2, basically intervening in the area of Mumbai Bay, which means that there is still a missing of 600 km2 to be developed, giving opportunity to new technical interventions that offer solutions for medium depth and master plans that are capable of integrating sustainable growth.

A Project by Sayan Chakraborty
Guided by Jitesh Chowdhury

Source: Mumbai land reclamation.