Vasai Creek, previously Bassein Creek, is an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

and one of the two main distributaries of the Ulhas River, in Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The Ulhas splits at the northeast corner of Salsette island into its two main distributaries, the other one being the Thane Creek, both of which empty west into the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channe ...

at the

Bombay Harbour Mumbai Harbour (also English language, English; Bombay Harbour or Front Bay, Marathi language, Marathi''Mumba'ī bandar''), is a natural deep-water harbour in the southern portion of the Ulhas River estuary. The narrower, northern part of the es ...

. The creek forms the northern boundary of

Salsette island Salsette Island is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra on India's west coast. Administratively known as Greater Mumbai, the city district of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban District, Mira Bhayander and a portion of Thane lie wi ...

and separates the island from

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

, on which lie the twin cities of

Vasai-Virar Vasai-Virar is an agglomeration of four previously governed municipal councils i.e. Vasai, Virar, Nala Sopara, and Navghar-Manikpur and a few villages on the west as well as the east of the congested city area. It lies in the Konkan division o ...

. The creek separates the northern most part from. To the south of the creek lies

Bhayandar Bhayandar is a suburb outside the Mumbai located near the Vasai Creek. It has a large Gujarati and Marwari population as well other mixed populations as well. It falls under the North Central ward of the Municipal Corporation. Geography Bhaya ...

suburb of

Mumbai (Bombay) Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

district& to the north of the creek lies Naigaon in Vasai (Bassein). Two rail bridges pass through

Panju Island Panju Island is an estuarine island in the Vasai Creek just north of Mumbai. The island is used by the Western Railway to connect the island of Salsette with the mainland at Vasai. It is located at with a maximum elevation of 1 m (3&n ...

which lies in between the satellite cities of Vasai-Virar and Mumbai (Bombay). The old railway crossing bridge was supposedly built in British Bombay, and has been closed since it was declared too dangerous to cross. The two new bridges are functional and has 4 tracks, 2 on each bridge. The Bhayander side of the creek has a lot of outdoor activities and recreational areas which includes joggers park, playground, puja area and visarjan area for idol immersion on the east side. On the west side there are small garden benches. There are also small paths heading down into the

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

where the waves can be watched hitting the shoreline.

Transport

The areas around the Vasai Creek have been developing at high pace. To accommodate the growing demand of transport, the Creek is being looked forward to be used as a waterway to boost inland water and cargo transport. The

Maharashtra Maritime Board The Maharashtra Maritime Board is governmental organisation in the state of Maharashtra, India. The board is tasked with the administration of ports and harbours, conservancy, licensing of crafts, levying of fees, regulation and control of traff ...

(MMB) is developing coastal shipping facilities at 5 points in the Vasai Creek. The 5 points under consideration are Bhayandar, Gaimukh, Kolshet, Majiwada and Kalher.

Gallery

Vasai Creek Mumbai.jpg, Vasai Creek in Monsoon

References

Estuaries of Mumbai Geography of Thane district {{Thane-district-geo-stub