. The earliest project began in 1784. The Bombay governor William Horn by approved the building of the great sea-wall which prevented the flooding of the low lying areas of Bombay. . Since then, there have been several reclamation projects. . The need for additional commercial space in the mid 19th century led to the formulation of several plans both by government and private companies for the reclamation of more land from the sea. . In 1864, the Back Bay Reclamation Company won the right to reclairq the western foreshore from the tip of Malabar Hills to the end of Colaba. . Reclamation often meant levelling of the hills around Bombay. . As the population continued to increase rapidly in the early 20th century, every bit of available area was built over and new areas were reclaimed from the sea.