Question

Describe the ‘land reclamation’ process in Bombay during the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries.

Answer 1

Hint
As the American Civil War halted the supply of American cotton to British textile mills, due to the sudden escalation in cotton exports, the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were one of the most prosperous moments in Bombay's development.

Complete answer:
Moreover, agency houses have been replaced by banks and the stock market has been very active. This period was also when it launched the Back Bay Reclamation Scheme.

The system began in 1863 to recover land for the construction of the Western Railway at Colaba and housing in Bombay for the growing population. Governor George Lloyd launched another Back Bay Reclamation Scheme later in the 1920s, reclaiming 1450 acres of land on the south-western side of the island town from the sea between Marine Lines and Colaba.

The aim of the scheme was to lower office rents by offering more office spaces and other business requirements. Together with the creation of Marine Drive, large open spaces are made available to regenerate the city and improve the health conditions of citizens with the revitalization of Bombay's eastern waterfront.

Several plans were formulated for the reclamation of more land from the sea in the mid-nineteenth century. It was attended by both private and government companies. In 1864, from the tip of Malabar Hill to the end of Colaba, the Black Bay Reclamation Company won the right to reclaim the western shore. This meant the levelling of the Bombay hills. By the 1870s, Bombay had expanded to about 22 square miles, even though most private companies had closed down because of the high cost of reclamation. As the population grew rapidly, more and more areas were reclaimed from the sea.

Note
Originally, Bombay was a city with several islands that over a period of time were joined into one landmass. The first project began in 1784 when the construction of the great sea wall was approved by the Governor of Bombay, William Hornby. It was done to prevent the low-lying areas of Bombay from being flooded.