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Landscapes of Disaster: Water, Modernity, and Urban Fragmentation in Mumbai

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  • Matthew Gandy

    (Department of Geography, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, England)

Abstract

The city of Mumbai is undergoing a complex social, economic, and political transition into an increasingly fragmentary and polarized metropolitan space. The tortuous flow of water through contemporary Mumbai presents one of the most striking indicators of persistent social inequalities within the postcolonial metropolis. We find that the city's dysfunctional water infrastructure has its roots within the colonial era but these incipient weaknesses have been exacerbated in recent years by rapid urban growth, authoritarian forms of political mobilization, and the dominance of middle-class interests within a denuded public realm. It is argued that the water and sanitation crisis facing Mumbai needs to be understood in relation to the particularities of capitalist urbanization and state formation in an Indian context.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Gandy, 2008. "Landscapes of Disaster: Water, Modernity, and Urban Fragmentation in Mumbai," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(1), pages 108-130, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:40:y:2008:i:1:p:108-130
    DOI: 10.1068/a3994
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Matthew Gandy, 2004. "Rethinking urban metabolism: water, space and the modern city," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(3), pages 363-379, December.
    2. Davis, Jennifer, 2004. "Corruption in Public Service Delivery: Experience from South Asia's Water and Sanitation Sector," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 53-71, January.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Govind Gopakumar, 2014. "Experiments and Counter-Experiments in the Urban Laboratory of Water- Supply Partnerships in India," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 393-412, March.
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    5. COLIN McFARLANE, 2008. "Governing the Contaminated City: Infrastructure and Sanitation in Colonial and Post‐Colonial Bombay," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 415-435, June.
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    9. Woodhouse, P. & Muller, M., 2017. "Water Governance—An Historical Perspective on Current Debates," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 225-241.
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    14. Sinharoy, Sheela S. & Pittluck, Rachel & Clasen, Thomas, 2019. "Review of drivers and barriers of water and sanitation policies for urban informal settlements in low-income and middle-income countries," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1-1.
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