A recently released white paper by the Praja Foundation also predicts that Mumbai’s population will touch 1.55 crore by year 2041.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in
It’s a city that continues to grow at a staggering pace, and it also continues to draw people from all over the country. However, how long can Mumbai sustain this pace of population growth?
A recent white paper on the state of Mumbai’s population growth released by Praja Foundation pegs the city’s projected growth at a staggering 1.48 crore in year 2021 and 1.55 crore by year 2021. Going by this rate of population growth, the paper estimates that Mumbai “requires at least 11.1 lakh affordable housing units to be constructed.” The Report recommends that to meet this growth, Mumbai must increase affordable housing, regulate standards for SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority), prioritise and actively promote public transport over private transport, and increase pedestrian-friendly zones, among other measures.
Already densely populated city
Praja Foundation and UDRI (Urban Design Research Institute) have also come out with a handbook – ‘Planning for Mumbai – The Development Plan (DP) for Greater Mumbai 2013-2034’. The handbook mentions the population densities of major metropolitan cities in the world thus: Singapore: 83 persons/ha; New York city: 106 persons/ha; Hong Kong: 64 persons/ha and Mumbai: 270 persons/ha.
When it comes to the availability of open space per person, Mumbai currently affords less than 1.24 square metres per person.
What needs to be done
The report suggests a few ways and means to combat the burgeoning population growth by offsetting it with the availability of open spaces, opportunities to use available open space, preserving the fast-depleting natural resources, etc. It states, “Public spaces such as notified open spaces, water edges, paths, urban squares and plazas shall be sacrosanct and not built upon. Mangroves must be retained in their natural habitats. [There is a need to] protect and enhance all reserved spaces, as well as completely freeze all reservations in the current DP.”
(Pictures courtesy knowledge.allianz.com, jackcollier7.com)