Wadala is a residential suburb of the central city of Mumbai. Wadala Road is a station on the harbor line in Mumbai. Wadala has several schools and some renowned institutions such as Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), University Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly the Department of the University of Chemical Technology (UDCT)) and Khalsa College, located near each other. SNDT Women’s University, Dr. Ambedkar Commerce and Law School also has a campus in Wadala West.

It also has one of the best eye hospitals in India, Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital and the Hospital of BPT and Ackworth Leprosy Hospital. Ackworth Leprosy Hospital was established during British rule, and part of the complex is now given to an organization for AIDS awareness as well. The first methane production plant in the world was introduced into this hospital complex.

Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion development of 1899-1900 was the first planned suburban scheme in Mumbai. Bombay City Improvement Trust, which was set after a bill was passed by the British Parliament, made the plan to relieve congestion in the center of the city after the plague epidemics of 1890. According to the survey plan, 85,000 people were to be accommodated in this planned settlement.

The plan regulated constructions with emphasis on sanitation. The buildings were three floors high and open spaces between them. Land use has been planned to be a mixture of residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Parks and gardens were planned, and the streets were well laid out.

Wadala used to be considered a central suburb of Mumbai, but it is now well within the city limits. The area is surrounded by Dadar in the west, Matunga, in north-west and Sewri in south. The western region of Wadala is covered by salt marshes, located on the banks of Thane creek. At the eastern boundary of Wadala, MMRDA plans to construct a truck terminal spread over 115 acres (1.15 sq. km). Mumbai, for the first time, will have a centralized facility for the carriage of goods by road.