India, July 9 -- Mumbai's 2005 floods led to the creation of the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority to manage river flow, flooding, encroachment and waste.

MRDPA chief Shankar Deshpande says solid waste and silt can clog stormwater systems, reduce river capacity and worsen flood risk during high tide and heavy rain.

Desilting, widening, sewage treatment, waste segregation and community sensitisation are all essential to keeping the Mithi river cleaner and reducing flood hazards, he says.

Mumbai's 2005 floods changed how the city understood the link between extreme rainfall, high tide, river capacity and waste management, says Shankar Deshpande, chief of the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority.

In this interv...