From fishnets to cityscapes: The Koli chronicles of Worli

Abstract

The Koli fishing community, one of Mumbai’s original inhabitants, is currently battling with the rapid urbanization and infrastructural development that has dramatically affected their access to critical urban resources, including land, water, and the sea. The communities of Khar Danda and Worli Koliwada stand at the frontline of these struggles, facing resource inaccessibility exacerbated by developmental projects like the Coastal Road and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Despite their historical ties to Mumbai’s coastline, the Kolis find themselves marginalized, with limited access to basic necessities like clean water and spaces for fishing. This article delves into the multifaceted challenges faced by these communities, analysing the sociopolitical factors contributing to their marginalization and proposing pathways toward preserving their heritage and livelihood.

Introduction

As Mumbai’s infrastructure modernizes with high-profile projects like the Coastal Road and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, the city's traditional fishing villages, particularly Worli Koliwada, stand at the forefront of an ongoing struggle between urban transformation and cultural heritage preservation. The Koli people, Mumbai’s oldest recorded inhabitants, trace their roots back to at least the 15th century. Originally chieftains in the Gujarat region, they migrated southward, drawn by opportunities to apply their maritime skills and establish fishing settlements along Mumbai's coast (Shah & Shroff, 1958). The effects of these developments are felt deeply as they grapple with the dual threat to both their livelihoods and their historical identity. The Kolis’ fight to preserve their way of life in the face of large-scale urban projects exemplifies the larger issues of marginalisation, urban resource access, and heritage conservation faced by indigenous and traditional communities across India’s rapidly developing cities (Kohli, 2022).

Guardians of Cultural Heritage Amidst Urban Turmoil

Worli Koliwada, home to Mumbai’s original fishing community, is more than just a cluster of houses by the sea—it represents a living cultural heritage that has defined Mumbai’s identity long before it became a metropolitan hub. For generations, the Kolis have relied on fishing as both a livelihood and a vital part of their cultural identity. However, Mumbai's rapid urbanization—marked by projects like the Coastal Road, implemented by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2018, and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, on the orders of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in 2009—poses an existential threat to their way of life. On the one hand, currently under construction—The Coastal Road, an 8-lane expressway with an estimated cost of ?10,000 crore (about ?190 billion or US$2.3 billion in 2023), is designed to ease traffic congestion in the city (The Indian Express, 2013), yet, on the other hand, alongside the Sea Link, it encroaches on the Kolis' traditional fishing grounds, eroding the environmental and economic conditions that have sustained their community for centuries.

Battling for Survival in a Concrete Jungle

Urban development projects like the Coastal Road have created an intense struggle for resources, particularly land and the natural environment. The large-scale land reclamation efforts required for these projects have drastically altered the marine ecosystems that sustain the Koli fishing community. Mumbai's coastal waters' biodiversity has suffered from pollution, fish population declines, and fishing grounds destruction. TISS and BMC reported that Kolis' daily earnings have halved. Due to Coastal Road project interruptions, operational expenses have increased by 27% (Maharwade, 2023). Like Nitesh Patil, Worli Koliwada fishermen mourn the loss of their major fishing sites and the environmental damage caused by reclamation. The fall in prawns and anchovies has caused fishermen to go deeper into the sea and also a financial burden.

The Kolis, whose ancestral roots in Mumbai date back over four centuries, have seen their livelihoods and way of life increasingly marginalised. While modern high-rises and urban infrastructure expand, the traditional fishing villages, or Koliwadas, are shrinking. Despite their crucial connection to the city’s coastal lands, their access to these areas is being undermined by urbanisation, competition from commercial trawlers, and ecological changes exacerbated by climate change. Even with the 2011 Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification (Claiming Space: Infrastructure, Uncertainty and Fisherfolks’ Livelihoods in Mumbai - T2S, 2020) that initially protected Koliwadas, subsequent amendments have weakened these protections, allowing for more unchecked development.

The Kolis have faced various legal challenges in their Coastal Road project dispute with the BMC. The community and civic groups like the Collective for Spatial Alternatives petitioned the courts to stop the project. For temporary relief, the Mumbai High Court declared land reclamation illegal in April 2019. The Supreme Court lifted the injunction, allowing reclamation to harm the surrounding ecosystem and Koli populations. The Kolis continue to fight for their rights to land and sea and Mumbai's coastal ecosystems despite legal disputes (Claiming Space: Infrastructure, Uncertainty and Fisherfolks' Livelihoods in Mumbai - T2S, 2020).

Navigating the Storm of Urban Expansion

The construction of the Coastal Road is symbolic of the broader struggle for the Kolis, whose livelihoods are being squeezed by rising costs and diminishing catches. As fish stocks decline and traditional fishing grounds are destroyed, the Kolis are forced to invest more in powerful boats and equipment to venture farther into the Arabian Sea. Despite these efforts, their income continues to drop, with fishermen reporting a 50% reduction in catch volume over the past decade, as pollution and construction activities severely disrupt the marine ecosystem. (India, 2024).

Beyond financial strain, restricted sea access threatens the Kolis’ identity, as their connection to the ocean has long shaped their culture and traditions. Although many Kolis have transitioned to jobs in Mumbai’s service sector, construction, IT, and education, stable employment remains a challenge. Despite these shifts, fishing holds enduring cultural and emotional significance, reflecting the deep-rooted maritime heritage central to their identity (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998). Despite this shift, challenges in securing stable employment remain, underscoring the enduring cultural and emotional significance of fishing for the community. This gradual shift towards diverse occupations marks a significant transformation in their traditional way of life. Yet, the pull of the sea and their maritime heritage remains deeply woven into their identity.

Voices from the Margins

Despite being one of Mumbai’s original communities, the Kolis are largely excluded from the city’s decision-making processes, a marginalisation that has intensified in recent years. The Kolis were forced to fight for even minor concessions, such as widening the navigation span between the Coastal Road pillars from 60 to 120 meters (Maharwade, 2023) to allow fishing boats to pass. However, this victory is seen as a token gesture in the face of much larger threats.

The political marginalisation of the Kolis extends beyond the boundaries of Worli Koliwada. With limited political representation—only around 20 of the 227 electoral wards in the city are Koli-dominated—the community lacks the power to influence decisions that directly affect their livelihoods (Sarkar, 2016). Koliwadas across the city, from Versova to Trombay, share similar concerns, but the absence of a unified platform has hindered their ability to advocate for their rights effectively.

In Juhu’s Moragaon, another Koli settlement, the Coastal Road threatens to bifurcate the village (Sarkar, 2016), destroying spaces critical for drying fish and storing boats. These local struggles highlight the broader issue of public participation in urban development: despite their historical and cultural significance, the Kolis remain sidelined in decisions that reshape their neighbourhoods.

The Kolis' Quest for Recognition in a Changing Mumbai

Mumbai's Coastal Road project highlights the shifting dynamics of identity politics as modernization threatens the Koli community, once central to the city’s maritime trade but now marginalized both economically and socially. As large-scale infrastructure reshapes the city, the Kolis’ displacement echoes a broader trend of Indigenous communities being overlooked for urban expansion (Kohli, 2022; Barnagarwala, 2024).

Striking a Balance in Urban Evolution

The ongoing battle between the Kolis and the Coastal Road project reflects the larger challenge of balancing urban transformation with preserving cultural heritage and traditional livelihoods. Mumbai’s development priorities often favour large-scale infrastructure over the needs of its original

The conflict between the Kolis and the Coastal Road reflects India’s challenge to balance urban growth with cultural preservation. Similar tensions are seen in Delhi's Central Vista redevelopment, criticized for sacrificing historic architecture, and Kolkata’s Kumartuli, where metro expansion threatens traditional artisans. Collectively, these cases raise pressing questions about who controls the future of India’s cities and at what cultural cost (Anthony, 2021; Menon, 2021; Thakur, 2022; Banerjee, 2020; Chattopadhyay, 2022).

The Steep Price of Urban Progress
As vehicles speed across the Coastal Road, connecting South Mumbai to the suburbs may give better Mobility,But the Kolis will continue to struggle. For the Kolis, this project is more than just infrastructure—it symbolizes Mumbai's socio-political transformation. Through the lens of Worli Koliwada and other Koliwadas, urban growth may erase Mumbai's rich cultural legacy and displace its indigenous communities.
 
The change in Worli Koliwada shows the human cost of urban development, which has fallen on individuals who have lived here for decades. As Mumbai grows, integrating modernism with traditional heritage and livelihoods becomes even more crucial: "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members" Mahatma Gandhi.

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