Mumbai: Powai Hill Cutting For Brookfield-JPMC GCC Project Sparks Landslide, Flooding And Environmental Concerns

Mumbai, July 29, 2026: Hill cutting at Powai for the massive 'Rehabilitation Scheme with a Sale Component' project, which includes 11 towers for project-affected people (PAP) and a 30,000-seat Global Capacity Centre (GCC), has raised alarm among local residents over potential environmental hazards.

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Powai could face heightened landslide and flooding risks as rapid hill cutting continues for the massive mixed-use development, environmental groups and residents have warned, pointing out that the project's own Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) identifies landslides and the stability of the existing sloping hillside among the hazards requiring risk assessment.

Project proponent B. H. Sharma has produced the Environmental Clearance (EC) granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) on April 27, 2022, maintaining that the necessary approval is in place.

"The proposed Brookfield–JPMC GCC will be located within the commercial office space forming part of the approved sale component. It is an intended end use of the approved commercial development and not a separate project requiring independent environmental approval," a spokesperson for B. H. Sharma said.

The Free Press Journal reached out to Brookfield for comment on the project. However, it did not receive a response.

Sharma's entity is the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the development, and Sharma owns the property.

"Environmental safeguards have been integrated into the project from the planning stage. The EIA evaluated key aspects including slope stability, geology, drainage, water resources, traffic, air quality, noise, green cover and ecological impacts before EC was granted," the spokesperson added.

Residents Raise Environmental Concerns

However, the existence of the EC is no longer the issue for local residents and activists.

"What the EIA itself reveals about the risks and cumulative burden of this enormous development is worrisome," environmental activist and NatConnect Foundation Director B. N. Kumar said.

"More immediately, the EIA details extensive excavation, including a seven-metre cut, retaining structures and slope-stabilisation measures, while its disaster-management assessment identifies landslide and hillside stability among the hazards. After tragedies such as Irshalwadi and Wayanad, warnings about slope stability cannot be treated as paperwork. With hill cutting progressing rapidly, safety must be established now, not after irreversible damage," Kumar added.

The 2021 EIA envisages 3,986 PAP rehabilitation flats in 11 buildings, massive office and retail space, a food court and a 13-screen, 2,693-seat multiplex, with an assessed population of 37,550. The project has subsequently been publicly associated with a proposed 30,000-seat GCC.

The sheer scale is underlined by the EIA. On a 60,000 sq m plot, it records a total proposed built-up area of 430,938.59 sq m — over 4.3 lakh sq m.

Traffic And Infrastructure Questions

Nor will the disruption be short-lived. The EIA puts the construction period at approximately seven years and acknowledges dust and air pollution from demolition, excavation and construction, besides emissions from vehicles carrying debris and building materials, DG sets and an on-site batching plant.

"Add GCC employees, multiplex and retail visitors, service personnel, delivery and gig workers, taxis and other daily footfall, and are we potentially looking at a resident-and-floating population approaching one lakh? If not, the authorities must disclose their cumulative population, traffic and infrastructure projections," Powai ALM Chairperson Pamela Cheema said.

"Seven years of excavation, dust, noise and construction traffic could turn life into an ordeal in this densely populated residential neighbourhood — only to be followed by the permanent load of nearly 4,000 homes, massive commercial and entertainment activity and a 30,000-seat GCC. How much more can Powai take, as the lake already receives about 18 million litres of sewage daily?" Powai ALM's Milan Bhat said.

The project EIA estimates 2.72 MLD of sewage generation, with excess treated wastewater proposed for discharge into a sewer line.

"Motorists and commuters already face chronic congestion at the Powai Plaza-Hiranandani Link Road junction, with peak-hour queues exceeding 2 km. Yet the project's traffic survey dates from the COVID era of January 2021," Bhat said.

"For a development of this magnitude, where was the public hearing or consultation with residents who will bear seven years of construction and its long-term impact?" the ALMs questioned.

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Mumbai: Powai GCC Project Faces Fresh EC Row As Residents Question Rehabilitation Component, Seek EIA Transparency

Developer Defends Project

However, B. H. Sharma's spokesperson maintained that traffic and infrastructure impacts were comprehensively assessed as part of the EIA and the statutory approval process before the EC was granted.

"The project will be implemented in compliance with all conditions stipulated by the competent authorities, including infrastructure and environmental safeguards," the spokesperson added.

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