Mumbai Water Narratives

Mumbai’s relationship with water can be traced back to its very conception. The Mumbai we know and inhabit today was a series of seven islands, ruled by different kingly empires. Surrounded by water on all sides, these islands have always had a unique relationship to both the sea  and freshwater. This project has been initiated by the Living Waters Museum in collaboration with a growing network of Partners, including Coastal Conservation Foundation, to explore our fascination with Mumbai’s water stories, people and practices over time.

From Bombay to Mumbai, the discourse of water in the city has shifted from water as a resource, water as philanthropy (1800s), water as a civic property (1845 onwards), water as a commodity, to water as a right for citizens (since 2014). With increasing climate risks, the city has seen frequent extreme events from urban floods ravaging homes or destroying livelihoods every monsoon to threats of water cuts and conflicts. Water therefore, has a multifaceted relationship with Mumbai. However, this rich tapestry of our liquid heritage and its intersection with the everyday lives of citizens and their material reality is often unknown to our children, the ‘water-keepers’ of the future.