Mumbai: Tension gripped Bandra’s Garib Nagar area on the second day of the ongoing demolition drive after a mosque structure was razed during Western Railway’s anti-encroachment operation. Residents expressed strong outrage and emotional reactions during the demolition of the mosque structure. As the drive was underway in Garib Nagar, angry residents staged protests at the site.

Locals allegedly also threw water and buckets at Mumbai Police personnel during the agitation. Following the chaos, Mumbai Police resorted to a lathi charge to control the situation. Another visual showed the situation escalating as a major scuffle was seen between the police and locals. Visuals from the site also showed some women personnel dragging someone.

The massive anti-encroachment drive began on Tuesday near Bandra railway station, days after the Bombay High Court allowed Western Railway (WR) to remove unauthorised structures in the area. On the first day, 18 per cent of 500 illegal huts were cleared.

Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said that the five-day drive aims to free 5,300 square metres of land to clear the railway safety zone and facilitate future capacity augmentation projects. For the demolition drive, nearly 1,000 personnel have been deployed at the site, including around 400 Mumbai Police personnel, 400 members from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), along with officials from various railway departments.

The drive came after the Bombay HC, in its May 5 order, permitted WR to continue the demolition drive. However, it also said that the rights of slum dwellers who were found eligible in the 2021 surveys must be protected.

The action is being carried out to clear railway land occupied by illegal structures. Heavy police deployment has been made, and security has been tightened in the area during the demolition process.

Thane residents will have to prepare for a 24 hour water supply shutdown beginning Thursday, May 21, after the Thane Municipal Corporation announced a temporary suspension of water services across the city.

The civic body shared the update on X, stating that the decision was taken following a meeting between water supply officials and the Water Resources Department on April 23, 2026. Authorities reviewed the current water availability in the Andhra and Barvi dams and discussed measures to manage supply over the coming months.

Officials said the move comes amid a growing water deficit in both dams, coupled with concerns over lower than expected rainfall during the upcoming monsoon season. To ensure adequate water availability till August 31, 2026, the corporation has decided to implement water conservation measures and carry out urgent infrastructure work.

According to the corporation, upgrading and emergency maintenance work will be undertaken on gravity channels numbers 1, 2 and 3 at the reservoir of the Jambhul Water Purification Centre under the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation water supply scheme.

As a result, water supply will remain completely shut from 12 noon on Thursday, May 21, until 12 noon on Friday, May 22.

Residents across Thane have been advised to store sufficient water in advance and use it carefully during the shutdown period. Civic officials have also appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary wastage and cooperate with the administration as the city navigates a challenging water situation ahead of the monsoon.

Mumbai: A video has surfaced online from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ongoing pre-monsoon desilting drive, showing civic workers pulling out the debris of an entire rickshaw from a sewage drain, once again highlighting the scale of waste clogging Mumbai’s drainage infrastructure ahead of the monsoon season.

the debris of a heavily damaged rickshaw was recovered during desilting operations being undertaken by the BMC. Visuals from the video show the upper portion of the rickshaw completely destroyed, while the lower frame remains partially intact, holding the vehicle structure together as it is lifted out of the sewage system.

The caption accompanying the viral video further claimed that the rickshaw was not the only unusual object found during the desilting exercise. It stated that civic workers have also recovered a complete set of sofas and luggage bags from major sewage channels during the ongoing drive.

The visuals have once again brought attention to the kind of waste accumulating inside the city’s drainage network and the larger issue of civic responsibility. Large debris dumped into drainage systems can significantly obstruct water flow, increase pressure on sewage infrastructure, and contribute to waterlogging during heavy rainfall.

Mumbai witnesses recurring flooding concerns every monsoon season, with clogged drains often emerging as one of the key factors affecting stormwater discharge across several areas of the city. Civic authorities undertake large-scale desilting exercises annually before the onset of monsoon in an effort to improve drainage capacity and reduce flooding risks.

As per data shared on the official BMC social media handle, as of May 20, 2026, major sewage desilting works across the city have recorded an overall progress of 80.39 per cent. Meanwhile, desilting work along the Mithi River has achieved an overall progress of 53.13 per cent.

The resurfacing of videos like these also raises broader concerns regarding waste disposal practices and public civic sense, particularly as Mumbai prepares for the arrival of monsoon, a period during which efficient drainage systems become critical for preventing flooding and maintaining urban resilience.