The origination of dhobi ghat can be traced back to early Mumbai when Mumbai comprised of 7 islands. As there were many water edges due to the smaller lakes getting formed between the islands it gave rise to smaller dhobi ghats all over Mumbai. When first railway was planned in Mumbai by the British the lakes were filled and many dhobi ghats lost their identities. The British found it hard for their military to have a laundry system hence giving rise to Asia’s biggest Dhobi ghat which now is proudly located in the saat rasta region.
Due to its propinquity to the race course and a relatively large land area (4 acres), Dhobi Ghat is being eyed by private developers as an ultra-prime property for commercial development. The disparity on either side of the race course highlights a dying urban core due to unplanned (informal) development, policy paralysis, infrastructure failure & socio-economic discrepancy.

Dhobi Ghat is Mumbai‘s 140-year-old, open-air laundromat, and it is estimated that each day half a million pieces of clothing are sent there from hotels, hospitals, and homes.