Mumbai's first artificial beach is just three years away

What you see alongside is an artist's impression of Mumbai's first artificial beach – from Girgaum Chowpatty to the Marine Drive flyover.

You have to wait till 2019. The project is part of the Rs 827-crore Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Programme (SCPMIP), which seeks to cover around 10 such sites, including Marine Drive.

This reclamation, which involves extension of the already saturated Girgaum Chowpatty further south, will be done via the sea with barges being used to ferry sand, so that road traffic is not disturbed. It will be the first reclamation in recent years for open space instead of commercial use.

The project may involve soft solutions like geobags and artificial offshore reefs. Around 100 reefs would be laid on the seabed to break the force of waves and prevent coastal erosion.

The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) hopes to complete the Girgaum Chowpatty-Marine Drive flyover phase by 2019. This will also add to the capacity of the Chowpatty beach.

"The plan is to extend Girgaum Chowpatty and the sea face up to Nariman Point. We are planning to divide the project into two stretches – first, from Chowpatty to the Marine Drive flyover, and, later, beyond this.... as the part up to the flyover has just gymkhanas abutting it. With residential areas starting only later, we expect little resistance from people and few litigation," a senior official said.

This portion will cover around 35% of Marine Drive. Ramp access will be provided to the beach.

"We have a loan timeline of 2019 to adhere to," the official said. The project would be part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Programme (SCPMIP).

SCPMIP includes a Rs 480-crore ADB component, with the state government and the private sector contributing the rest. The project would check coastal erosion at vulnerable spots like beaches and seashore due to tidal waves and currents.

Though the MMB is looking at 10 sites -- Marine Drive, Satpati-Murbe, Ganapatipule, Tarkarli, Devbag, Kashid, Malvan bay, Dadar-Mahim bay, Aksa and Mirya reef (second layer) -- the final selection will be subject to environmental clearances. Consultant and site selection are in the final stages.

"This artificial reefs will serve as natural protection for land, so roads will not be flooded (during monsoon)," the official said.

If consultant reports and green clearances come in as planned, the project will begin before the 2018 monsoon. "We will need around three clear seasons to complete the work," he said.

Though a beach nourishment project and construction of sand-retention structures, offshore reefs and beach access are on the cards at the Dadar- Mahim beach, turbid waters there pose a problem.

The SCPMIP pilot project has been launched at Mirya near Ratnagiri, where reef construction and beach nourishment are under way.

Mumbai, made up of seven islands, has seen many reclamation, both legal and illegal. However, many of these projects, like the controversial post-Independence Backbay Reclamation scheme, were for housing the city's burgeoning population and commercial purposes.

Mumbai's land mass has increased from 437.37 sq km in 1991 to 482 sq km now due to reclamation and years of sea-silting.

At present, Mumbai has 1,052 open spaces, of which 186 are under adoption. Over 700 have been developed and 160 are being developed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) garden department.

According to BMC officials, with 2,968 hectares of open space, Mumbai has a per capita open space of 2.48 sq m, which is lower that what cities like New York has. However, this figure dwindles to 0.88 sq m in some areas since most open spaces are built upon, not in use, or allow only restricted entry.