Mumbai wants a copy of NYC's Central Park. This might drown the city further

As Mumbai reels under another monsoon deluge, the city's plan to turn Mahalaxmi Racecourse into a Central Park-style public space is a matter that demands scrutiny. Experts have warned that redeveloping one of south Mumbai's largest natural flood buffers could make the city more vulnerable to waterlogging.

India's financial capital, Mumbai, has drowned again. The city falls under the stewardship of Asia's richest municipal corporation, the BMC. But that distinction matters little when the rains arrive. One fact, however, deserves attention. Although southern Mumbai is no stranger to flooding, it has largely been spared the crippling inundation that routinely paralyses Mumbai's northern suburbs. This monsoon, which is worse than every year, is an appropriate time to note that it might not remain the case for much longer.

One of south Mumbai's largest remaining open spaces, the 225-acre Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which acts as a natural sponge for rainwater, might soon not remain the same. With plans to develop parts of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, this crucial flood buffer might not remain as open as it is today.

The proposal is to develop a sprawling public park at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, inspired by iconic green spaces such as New York's Central Park and London's Hyde Park.

In the northern suburbs of Mumbai, multi-storey buildings are collapsing. People are being electrocuted on flooded roads. Others are disappearing into manholes in invisible waterlogged streets. Yet, the southern part of Mumbai continues to fare better. Waterlogging in pockets such as Worli and Dadar, usually drains out far quicker. The Mahalaxmi Racecourse, in the heart of south Mumbai, is a reason for this relief.

The racecourse is a rare expanse of permeable ground in a concrete jungle of a city. Reclaimed from marshy land decades ago, its low-lying terrain naturally collects rainwater during the monsoon. This allows water to percolate into the soil, recharging groundwater and reducing the volume that rushes into already strained drains, which dump 5,000 tonnes of plastic into the Arabian Sea annually.

Mumbai-based architect and urban planner Rahul Kadri has highlighted the role of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse repeatedly.

"Due to concretisation, there is no percolation of water," the urban planner pointed out twice in conversations with India Today Digital over the last year, noting that the racecourse "actually acts as a sink for water from the monsoon and helps the area to not get flooded during the rains."

Without such open, unpaved spaces, rain has nowhere to go but into the drainage system, which Mumbai's infrastructure often cannot handle.

Last year, India Today Digital analysed how much rain it takes for Indian cities to drown. Mumbai, while more resilient than some cities due to its topography and scale, still drowns under heavy downpours — often 200 mm or more in 24 hours — because its natural absorption zones have shrunk.

The Mahalaxmi Racecourse has helped buffer southern Mumbai from the worst of this. Altering that capacity could push the city's "Doobo-meter" reading lower, making flooding more frequent and severe in South Mumbai as well.

MAHALAXMI RACE COURSE'S REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

The Mahalaxmi Racecourse land was originally leased to the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) for 99 years beginning in 1914. The lease expired in May 2013 and has since been extended through short-term renewals, while the land has remained under public ownership.

The redevelopment proposal by the BMC (with collaboration from the state government) aims to transform parts of the racecourse into what authorities have called Mumbai's Central Park, inspired by New York's iconic green space. Plans announced in late 2025 involved integrating about 125 acres of the racecourse with around 170 acres of land from the Mumbai Coastal Road project, creating a roughly 295-acre public green zone.

The historic racing track and stables would largely remain, but significant portions would see underground development.

Key elements of Mahalaxmi Racecourse's redevelopment include a nearly 10 lakh sq ft underground sports complex, multi-level basement parking for thousands of vehicles, a convention centre, gardens, an artificial hillock, and connectivity features like underground tunnels or subways linking to the Coastal Road.

The surface is intended to stay largely green, but the underground construction would involve deep excavation, piling, and concrete structures. The proponents of the redevelopment project argue this will provide world-class recreational facilities while enhancing public access without fully shutting down racing activities.

Experts, which include over 100 architects and urban planners, however, warn that this approach misunderstands the site's natural hydrology.

The racecourse sits on historic marshland. Any major underground work would compact soil, install impermeable barriers, and reduce the ground's ability to absorb water. Rain that once percolated slowly would instead run off faster toward surrounding neighbourhoods.

OPPOSITION FROM ARCHITECTS, URBAN PLANNERS

Over 100 architects, urban designers, and planners have strongly opposed the project.

In early 2026, the Mumbai Architects Collective issued public appeals to the Chief Minister and BMC Commissioner. A group of 102 professionals (later growing) warned that underground parking, sports facilities, and tunnels would permanently damage one of the city's last large public open spaces, reported The Indian Express.

They argued that such grounds are critical for rainwater absorption, groundwater recharge, and flood mitigation in a low-lying, flood-prone coastal city. "Any underground construction would permanently compromise these functions," the collective stated in February this year.

WHY THE MAHALAXMI RACECOURSE MATTERS SO MUCH FOR MUMBAI

South Mumbai is no stranger to flooding. Areas around Mahalaxmi, Haji Ali, Worli, Dadar, and nearby locales already see waterlogging when rains are heavy.

Repeated and increasing concretisation across Mumbai has eliminated natural percolation, turning rain into a liability rather than a resource. The racecourse redevelopment, if it proceeds with extensive underground infrastructure, would be another step in that direction — trading long-term resilience for short-term amenities.

Experts and activists have long called for protecting and restoring such open spaces. In a city starved of them, losing the racecourse's sink function would be a significant blow.

It must be noted that Mumbai has far below the recommended green space per person, according to research by think tank ORF. The city offers just 1.24 square metres of open space per resident — far short of the 10–12 square metres recommended by the World Health Organisation and national urban planning guidelines.

Older planners once even considered turning parts of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse into a reservoir, recognising its water-holding potential.

As Mumbai grapples with more intense monsoons amid climate change, preserving natural infrastructure like the Mahalaxmi Racecourse is extremely essential.

The redevelopment plans promise a grand park, but they risk undermining the very environmental services that make such a park valuable in the first place.

- Ends