Save the Mangroves of Mumbai

This week saw the World Environment Day meant to bring awareness among we people in protecting our environment from the dangers of global warming, so that the world will a better and safer habitat. But here in Mumbai those in power, the Maharashtra government, in cahoots with the all powerful builder's lobby care a damn about environment. The government is planning to relax the Coastal regulation norm in order to appease the builders, so that they can lay claim over the city's few remaining mangroves, salt pans and barren lands and convert them into another concrete jungle.

There is a vast stretch of land consisting of precious mangroves and salts pans running parallel to the eastern express highway of Mumbai. These lands so far were left untouched because it was protected under the coastal regulation zone.

There is not much land available in Mumbai for the builders to exploit for construction of buildings. In the eighties the prime upmarket Nariman Point came up after much of the land near to the Arabian Sea was reclaimed for constructing huge skyscrapers for accommodating offices. Today the market prices of these offices are the most expensive compared to those in New York and Tokyo.

Since then the construction activity in Mumbai has become a booming and thriving industry. The Maharashtra government is attempting to replicate Mumbai city in line with Shanghai, China by constructing a number of flyovers and undertaking road widening projects. The politicians and the builders are raking in the moolah out of the construction boom.

Mumbai also houses one of Asia's largest slums and is nicknamed Slumbai. Slums are a dent in the image of Mumbai city being projected as another Shanghai. The previous government came up with idea of slum rehabilitation programs, which is followed by the present regime. The slums holding up the prime land in the city are demolished and sold to the builders. They have to construct free houses for the slum dwellers and construction cost is recovered by allotting them free hold land to be sold to private parties.

Mumbai was once known for having several textile mills in central Mumbai. Today the mills have been replaced by swanky apartments and malls. The builders have consumed most lands in Mumbai and are now eying the mangroves and salt pans located near eastern express highway.

These mangroves act as a protective barrier against the high tides, floods and tsunami. Besides it is a natural holding pond for rainwater, allowing water to drain into the sea. These mangroves and salt pans are protected under Coastal regulation zone.

Coastal regulation is the boundary from the high tide line up to 500 metres in the landward side. In case of rivers and creeks the distance from the high tide level shall apply to both sides and this distance must not be less than 100 metres as per the notification of Ministry of Environment and forest, dated February 1994.

This brazen act of flouting the CRZs by the Maharashtra government is ill-conceived and has serious repercussions on the city's ecological system and its environment. During the monsoon, in case of heavy rains, there will be additional pressure on the city's British made old drainage with less holding water lands. The city has already experienced major flooding couple of years back with huge loss of human life and properties.