River cruises are quite popular in Mumbai. The city has a large cross-section of rivers. The cruises in the cleaner parts of the city are laden with tourists. The main rivers are Dahisar, Mithi, Oshiwara and Poisar.

Mithi River
This river is also called Mahim. The river originates at Powai. It is enriched by the water from the Powai and Vihar lakes. It ends at the Mahim Creek. The main areas it flows through are Powai, Kurla, Kalina, Saki Naka, Vakola, Bandra-Kurla complex, Dharavi and Mahim. The total river covers a distance of about 15 km.At 10m width the river bed is narrow in the initial stretch but wider at the Bandra-Kurla complex. During the monsoons, the river gets even more swollen. The overflowing lakes add excess water to the river flow, too, which is stopped by a dam at other times. Sometimes, you can see people fishing here during the monsoons.The Mithi River meets the Arabian Sea at the Mahim bay. It is a popular bird sighting area. The mangroves near the creek are nesting sites for a lot of migratory birds that are found here. The place is great for an evening ride on a boat.

Dahisar River
The river is located in the northern suburbs of Mumbai near Dahisar. The Tulsi Lake in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in north Mumbai is its source. Dahisar drains into the Manori Creek. There used to be crocodiles in this river till the mid 50s. As it’s located in an industrial area, the river has been polluted now. The BMC has undertaken a desalinating and rover widening project to clean the river and prevent further pollution.

Oshiwara River
Only the name remains of the Oshiwara River. Industrial pollutants from the Oshiwara industrial estates and Andheri slums have polluted it a lot. The river originates in the Aarey Milk Colony of Mumbai and flows through the Goregaon hills and Andheri, before emptying into the Malad Creek.

Poisar River
This river begins in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and empties into the Marve Creek to meet the Arabian Sea. The river is more a stream than a river for most part of the year. Only during the monsoons does it becomes wider.

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