Ciziten-lead action to turn Govandi into a green haven

The team at the revamped gully

Our youth stopped receiving marriage proposals because of how unhygienic our lanes were. Guests would often excuse themselves during visits; they'd say "Kitne gande mein rehte hai aap [you live in such unclean conditions]," recalls 43-year-old Kulsum Khan of Natwar Parekh Compound (NPC) in Govandi. Invitations should be in order for these guests after Kulsum and a team of women with Community Design Agency (CDA) have started cleaning, greening and rebuilding their lanes brick by brick.

Spread across five hectares of land, NPC was established as a slum rehabilitation colony in 2007, drawing in displaced residents from Sewri, Byculla, and beyond. "Each house here measures 226 sq ft on average, and is home to families of nearly seven members each," shares Natasha Sharma, lead, public arts and design at CDA. Between 61 buildings, you can walk in its open lanes that comprise nearly 18 per cent of the total space, according to CDA studies. But would one really want to? "For years, these spaces were infamous for their stench, open garbage dumping, and disease," Sharma adds.

Children test the play area. PICS/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI; Community Design Agency

Envisioned in 2019, paralysed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and revived in 2025, the Greening Community Commons project has seen determined residents go door to door to spread the word, take seats at the drawing board with architects, and collaborate with civic authorities - all between their household duties. Earlier this year, the group quietly opened the first Gully Garden in NPC. "After seeking due permissions from the MMRDA, women assembled the benches, others helped with plastering and putty work, and children set up the plants," she adds. The garden is the beginning of a long-term plan they have in mind for their gullies.

Help is a call away for the women aka community organisers, who have access to CDA's architects. For architect Samyuktha Rajeev, it is an equal collaboration between technical expertise and local knowledge. "For instance, with the play area, the adults pitched in with their observations of the children's behavioural patterns to help us choose the right structures. When it came to greening, they had deep knowledge of which plants can or cannot thrive in the conditions," she points out. "They considered visibility, accessibility for all, the wellbeing of the community and existing resources. Our role as architects was to translate those insights into design," adds architect Pooja Parameswararao.

Natasha Sharma

"I would spend most of my days indoors. Through the project, we have naturally formed a close-knit women's circle where I feel free to share my everyday problems. I don't feel guilty about staying home all day anymore," admits Samrin Mukhri, who migrated to NPC from a Sewri settlement 17 years ago. We're glad to learn from 38-year-old Faiza Shaikh that the civic authorities have been helpful in responding to calls for assistance with waste removal, or giving the lanes a good scrub. The major part of the maintenance - including operating lights and ensuring cleanliness - still rests on the residents' shoulders.

While the city's monsoon has kept the women indoors, they are using it to chart plans for clearer days. "We have mapped out the area based on social, infrastructural and ease-of-transformation markers. Each gully will see a unique transformation into a safe, open space for residents to lounge, play and socialise. We're brainstorming every day so we can hit the ground running as soon as the monsoon bids Mumbai adieu," Sharma assures us before signing off.

AT Natwar Parekh Compound, Shivaji Nagar, Govandi.
LOG ON TO @communitydesignagency (to follow the team's work)

BMC, listen to us!

While community-level work continues, the women of Natwar Parekh Compound share three concerns that need official attention, leading up to the upcoming civic elections

1) Women are quietly battling unemployment. Job opportunities will help uplift the neighbourhood.

2) Diseases like TB, typhoid and malaria are still rampant. A hospital closer to NPC will help ease the health anxiety.

3) Womens' groups that know the ward inside out should be recognised and given a seat at the table when it comes to policy making