Welcome to Mumbai!

Let’s take a look around!

With 22 million residents, Mumbai is the most populous and richest city in India. Initially called Bombay, Mumbai was renamed with its origin from the local deity ‘Mumba Devi’ which means mother goddess.

The language most spoken is Hindi but many temples, mosques, churches and synagogues are peppered across the city. Home to Bollywood, this metropolis houses film stars as well as one of the largest slums in India.

It contains a huge protected urban forest, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park which is 30 times the size of Central Park in New York. Home to over 1,000 species of plants and animals, the hamlets inside the park regularly see leopards.

5 cool facts

1. Contrast between rich and poor

In between the city slums housing some of the poorest, Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires in India. This makes it the wealthiest city in India.

2. A hat trick of heritage sites

Not one but three UNESCO World Heritage sites reside in Mumbai. These include the Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and various Victorian and Art deco buildings.

3. No man is an island

Mumbai consists of seven different islands which were united to form the city,

4. Bling!

The world’s most expensive house is in Mumbai. At around $2 billion Antilia consists of 27 floors of living space!

5. What a tight squeeze

Mumbai is a tightly packed city and it’s been estimated that only 1.1 square metres of open space (gardens, parks, playgrounds) is available per person. Compare this to 31.6 square metres per person in London.

5 residents of Mumbai

1. Fabulous flamingos

Each year around 120,000 flamingos land in Mumbai lakes. Bizarrely the pollution has helped to fuel their growth in numbers. The sewage near a water treatment plant promote the growth of blue-green algae which is part of their diet.

2. Leaping leopards

Humans and leopards live in close proximity in Mumbai. There are 250,000 residents living in the boundaries of the Sanjay Gandhi national park. Stray dogs make up 40% of a Mumbai leopard’s diet.

3. Snazzy snakes

The vine snake is brightly coloured and lives in shrubs and trees. It likes to stuff its tummy with birds and small mammals!

4. Beautiful butterflies

Mumbai has 5 butterfly parks with over 140 different species! The Lime Butterfly is a mud-puddler which sits on moist soil and sucks up fluid to extract salts and nutrients.

5. Marvellous monkeys 

Grey Langur monkeys can be found in parts of Mumbai. They spend half their day in trees and the other half running around on the ground looking for insects and fruit to eat!

How do you spot a leopard?

You don’t, they come that way

What issues face Mumbai?

Air pollution

Like many cities around the world, Mumbai suffers from poor air quality which is causing respiratory illnesses such as asthma and lung cancer.

The majority of the air pollution comes from road and construction dust. Other culprits are power plants and cars. As more people choose to take to the roads, it’s expected that transport emissions will become the prime source of air pollution by 2030.

Sadly deforestation isn’t helping rid the air of pollution. A bullet train project will take over 125 hectares of forest land. And green spaces are getting eaten up to deal with the overcrowding.

Overcrowding

Mumbai is the 4th most populated city in the world. As it’s surrounded by water on three sides, there is simply no room to expand. Money is going into clearing land for new and expensive housing projects that leave the 60% of Mumbai’s population living in slums with little or no running water. This poor sanitation leaves open sewers in the street and associated illnesses with the residents.

Positive News

1. A project to rebuild

The Slum Rehabilitation Authority has been implementing plans to rebuild the slums. They want to turn them into high rise buildings and ensuring that slum residents are given occupation rights.

2. Mangrove Wetland CentreMangrove Wetland Centre

The Conservation Action Trust has spearheaded a proposal a Mangrove Wetland Centre in Mumbai. It would be the first of its kind in India and will protect and educate members of the public on these amazing plants.

Positive impacts with Earth Cubs

FREE APP!FREE APP! Play our app and teach your kids to love our amazing planet

TEACHING RESOURCES!TEACHING RESOURCES! Extensive curriculum linked resources supporting teachers and schools to bring sustainability into the classroom. City of Mumbai coming in the future!