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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city...

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city will get a ‘Hindu Marathi’ person to head India’s richest civic body, while the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also harbour fond hopes of a miracle that could ensure their own person for the post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) optimism stems from expectations of possible political permutations-combinations that could develop with a realignment of forces as the Supreme Court is hearing the cases involving the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party this week. Catapulted as the largest single party, the BJP hopes to install a first ever party-man as Mayor, but that may not create history. Way back in 1982-1983, a BJP leader Dr. Prabhakar Pai had served in the top post in Mumbai (then Bombay). Incidentally, Dr. Pai hailed from Udupi district of Karnataka, and his appointment came barely a couple of years after the BJP was formed (1980), capping a distinguished career as a city father, said experts. Originally a Congressman, Dr. Pai later shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party, then back to Congress briefly, founded the Janata Seva Sangh before immersing himself in social activities. Second Administrator The 2026 Mayoral elections have evoked huge interest not only among Mumbaikars but across the country as it comes after nearly four years since the BMC was governed by an Administrator. This was only the second time in the BMC history that an Administrator was named after April 1984-May 1985. On both occasions, there were election-related issues, the first time the elections got delayed for certain reasons and the second time the polling was put off owing to Ward delimitations and OBC quotas as the matter was pending in the courts. From 1931 till 2022, Mumbai has been lorded over by 76 Mayors, men and women, hailing from various regions, backgrounds, castes and communities. They included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, even a Jew, etc., truly reflecting the cosmopolitan personality of the coastal city and India’s financial powerhouse. In 1931-1932, the Mayor was a Parsi, J. B. Boman Behram, and others from his community followed like Khurshed Framji Nariman (after whom Nariman Point is named), E. A. Bandukwala, Minoo Masani, B. N. Karanjia and other bigwigs. There were Muslims like Hoosenally Rahimtoola, Sultan M. Chinoy, the legendary Yusuf Meherally, Dr. A. U. Memon and others. The Christian community got a fair share of Mayors with Joseph A. D’Souza – who was Member of Constituent Assembly representing Bombay Province for writing-approving the Constitution of India, M. U. Mascarenhas, P. A. Dias, Simon C. Fernandes, J. Leon D’Souza, et al. A Jew Elijah Moses (1937-1938) and a Sikh M. H. Bedi (1983-1984), served as Mayors, but post-1985, for the past 40 years, nobody from any minority community occupied the august post. During the silver jubilee year of the post, Sulochana M. Modi became the first woman Mayor of Mumbai (1956), and later with tweaks in the rules, many women ruled in this post – Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar (1994-1995), Vishakha Raut (997-1998), Dr. Shubha Raul (March 2007-Nov. 2009), Shraddha Jadhav (Dec. 2009-March 2012), Snehal Ambedkar (Sep. 2014-March 2017). The last incumbent (before the Administrator) was a government nurse, Kishori Pednekar (Nov. 2019-March 2022) - who earned the sobriquet of ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Mumbai - as she flitted around in her full white uniform at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, earning the admiration of the citizens. Mumbai Mayor – high-profile post The Mumbai Mayor’s post is considered a crucial step in the political ladder and many went on to become MLAs, MPs, state-central ministers, a Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Ministers and union ministers. The formidable S. K. Patil was Mayor (1949-1952) and later served in the union cabinets of PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lah Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi; Dahyabhai V. Patel (1954-1955) was the son of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Manohar Joshi (1976-1977) became the CM of Maharashtra, later union minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha; Chhagan Bhujbal (1985-1986 – 1990-1991) became a Deputy CM.

Gaza’s Water Wars Amid Trump’s Peace Gambit

Without secure access to clean water, even the most ambitious ceasefire will be little more than a cease-fire.

Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump announced what he calls a ‘breakthrough’ in Gaza’s interminable war. The framework for an agreement between Israel and Hamas for the first phase of a peace deal includes a ceasefire, release of hostages, withdrawal of Israeli forces to a mutually agreed line and the opening of humanitarian aid channels. These developments foster cautious hope that more than just violence might be halted. But lurking beneath the headlines is an even more intractable crisis that may determine whether any future peace will hold. That is Gaza’s water system, which is presently dead on its feet.


Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth, squeezed between Israel, Egypt, and the sea. Its main source of fresh water, the coastal aquifer, has been degraded by decades of overuse and by saltwater intrusion. Much of the water that does reach people is polluted by untreated sewage.


Breaking point

The war that reopened in October 2023 has pushed this system past its breaking point. Fuel shortages driven by blockades and border restrictions have crippled desalination plants, pumping stations, wastewater treatment, and sewage networks. Reports show that over 85 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure is now either damaged or in partial disrepair.


For most Gazans, access to clean water has fallen far below even the bare minimum. Estimates range from only 3-5 litres per day per person for drinking and basic cooking needs. That is a fraction of the World Health Organization’s emergency benchmark of 15 litres. Meanwhile, nearly 96 percent of groundwater is deemed undrinkable, whether because of salinity, chemical pollution or sewage contamination.


Water in Gaza is not just a tool of survival. It has become a bargaining chip, a tool of coercion. The supply lines from Mekorot (Israel’s utility) once supplied up to 70 percent of Gaza City’s needs. But the damage to those pipelines in the ongoing war and the numerous blockades have sharply reduced that share.


To control water is to control life, or at least to make survival dependent on others. For any peace plan to take root, negotiators must somehow guarantee not just a ceasefire or a troop withdrawal, but reliable and sustainable access to water, power, fuel, and repair of broken infrastructure.


The articles and statements emerging from recent negotiations suggest that Trump’s deal includes a phased Israeli withdrawal, hostage exchanges and perhaps an interim governance mechanism for Gaza under international supervision. But governance over water and infrastructure has so far received scant public detail.


Perilous existence

Critics warn that unless control over fuel supply, electricity, and access for reconstruction is explicitly addressed, water access will remain unstable. If Gaza’s desalination plants cannot run, if its wells have no power, if its sewage cannot be treated and if transmission pipelines are unusable, then its daily survival will still depend heavily on external aid.


Needless to say, humanitarian urgency is paramount at the moment. Disease, malnutrition and death will not wait for diplomacy. Tens of thousands already face life-threatening shortages, and unsafe water spreads cholera, typhoid, and other preventable illnesses. Any peace deal that fails to deliver essentials - clean water, sanitation, electricity - is unlikely to be accepted by Gaza’s population, and hollow peace will further breed resentment and instability. Control over water provides leverage not only for humanitarian relief but also for regional influence; the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others can shape the balance of power depending on who oversees infrastructure, aid flows and utilities.


Scarcity of water is a proven catalyst for conflict, and in Gaza, water could either spark renewed hostilities or serve as the fragile anchor holding peace together.


For peace to endure, fuel and electricity for water and sanitation infrastructure must be guaranteed, because without power, desalination plants, pumps, and treatment works cannot meet daily needs.


Repair and protection of pipelines, wells, and sewage systems must be prioritised, with existing damage not only fixed but safeguarded against further disruption, and technicians, materials, and shipping granted safe and sustained access. Governance of water services must be transparent and accountable. An interim body, if agreed upon, should include water experts and ensure neutral oversight of tariffs, maintenance, and supply chains. Reliable cross-border and international aid flows are critical, with spare parts, chemicals, and generators reaching Gaza without interruption, and logistical agreements structured to survive diplomatic breakdowns. Finally, monitoring and accountability mechanisms must be in place, including independent audits of water quality and infrastructure integrity to guarantee transparency and prevent failures from being hidden or ignored.


Trump’s recent announcement of a first-phase Gaza peace deal is a first step in what has turned into the most violent conflict of our times. Yet, unless water systems are front and centre, the deal risks being undone by what it fails to deliver, rather than affirmed by what it wins.


For its longevity, any proposed peace deal in Gaza must grapple with pipes as much as politics.


(The author is a Mumbai-based educator and an expert on the Indus Waters Treaty. Views personal.)

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