BJP Mahila Morcha social media in-charge Priti Gandhi juxtaposed an image of the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad with an image, she claimed, of the Mithi River in Mumbai. Gandhi attempted to portray that Mithi River is in poor condition despite the Maharashtra government spending over Rs 1,000 crores on its development.

The claim is viral on both Twitter and Facebook. Screenshots of her tweet are also being shared on Facebook.

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Fact-check

The first image shared by Gandhi indeed shows the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and can be found on the attraction’s official website. For the second image, a simple reverse image search on Google took us to this article that attributes the photo to Getty Images. We found the same image on iStock by Getty Images. As per the description, the photo was taken in January 2008 in Manila, Philippines.

An article published by The Indian Express in 2019, says that the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority (MRDPA) was formed in 2006 to coordinate between the MMRDA and BMC for the restoration of Mithi and to mitigate flooding. However, the committee has not met even once since 2013. An RTI report revealed that both MMRDA and BMC had spent over Rs 1,200 crore on various projects for Mithi river restoration and cleaning.

According to Frontline, BMC has set aside Rs.1,400 crore this year for the rejuvenation and beautification of Dahisar, Poisar, and Oshiwara (or Walbhat) rivers. “The Mithi river will receive special treatment because it has received a high level of abuse. It has a separate budget of Rs. 569.52 crore,” says the report.

There are several photos of the Mithi River in an abysmal condition.

But the photo used by Gandhi is from the Philippines.

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About the Author

Kalim is a journalist with a keen interest in tech, misinformation, culture, etc