On the evening of August 18, 2006, the typically foul-smelling and highly polluted waters of Mumbai’s Mahim Creek underwent a sudden, unexplained transformation. Word rapidly spread through the dense city that the Arabian Sea had inexplicably turned sweet. By midnight, a massive crowd gathered at the coast to drink directly from the bay, convinced an impossible event was unfolding right before their eyes. What followed was a frantic episode of mass consumption, urgent health warnings, and a scramble for a scientific explanation.
The Rush to Mahim Creek
At approximately 8:00 p.m., locals began arriving at Mahim Creek, situated near the shrine of Haji Maqdoom Baba. Rumors circulated that the seawater had lost its high salinity and acquired a sweet taste. Many individuals attributed this sudden change to divine intervention and claimed the water possessed curative properties. As the night progressed, thousands flocked to the shoreline. They waded into the ocean, using cups and plastic bottles to collect and consume the liquid. The hysteria quickly expanded geographically. Within hours, residents in Gujarat reported that the seawater at Tithal beach had also lost its salty taste, prompting similar large gatherings.
Health Warnings and Police Intervention
The massive influx of people alarmed local health authorities. Mahim Creek was known for high levels of industrial and human waste, with raw sewage and discarded plastic frequently drifting along the current. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and political leaders issued desperate warnings, urging the crowds to stop drinking the water due to the severe risk of water-borne illnesses like gastroenteritis. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai ordered an immediate bacteriological report. By 1:00 a.m., local police forces arrived to manage the crowds, but thousands continued to bottle the polluted water despite explicit health risks.
The Geologic Explanation
While crowds drank from the bay, geologists from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay investigated the anomaly. They concluded the event was a natural occurrence driven by extreme weather. Continuous, heavy monsoon rainfall over the preceding days caused a massive underground rock formation near the coast to fill with fresh water. As pressure built, this fresh water discharged into the sea as a large plume. Because fresh water is less dense than salt water, the discharge floated on the surface. In Gujarat, officials confirmed the Auranga and Banki rivers simply overflowed into the ocean.
The Tides Return to Normal
The unusual environmental anomaly was short-lived. At approximately 10:30 a.m. on August 19, the ocean tides began to shift and churn the bay. People at the creek noticed the water was tasting less sweet as the underlying salt water mixed with the floating fresh water plume. By 2:00 p.m., the natural mixing process was complete. The crowds finally acknowledged that the ocean had returned to its normal, highly saline state, and the phenomenon officially ended.