As many as 9,000 mangrove trees will be cut and another 51,000 mangrove trees will be affected while making way for the second phase of the coastal road–an ambitious project taken up by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The proposed road will connect Versova in Mumbai’s western suburbs with the satellite district of Bhayander. The BMC’s R/Central ward office on Monday asked citizens to file suggestions and objections in this connection by April 21. The clearance from the environment ministry came in November last year and the minutes from a meeting held between officials of the Maharashtra Coastal Zonal Management Authority (MCZMA), BMC and state environment officials state that a total 60,000 trees will be affected for the project.
For a coastal city like Mumbai, mangrove forests are vital ecosystems that act as natural buffers from coastal erosion, tidal flooding, storm surges, protecting shorelines and communities. The dense root systems stabilise sediments and reduce the impact of waves and current. The eastern and western shoreline of Mumbai has significant mangrove patches that are identified as mangrove zones. However, with increased encroachment and infrastructure development, these patches have also recorded a reduction in its density in the past few decades.
“Proposal was submitted for acquiring forest permission for diverting 102 hectares of forest land. However, mangrove vegetation which requires to be cut is less. Nearly 60,000 mangrove trees will be affected, out of which 9,000 trees will be cut for the proposed road,” read the minutes from MCZMA meeting.
The area where the mangrove plants will be impacted are part of coastal road’s E and F packages.
The proposed second phase of the coastal road has been divided into six different packages. Package A will cover 4.5 km between Versova and Bangur Nagar (Goregaon), Package B will cover 1.66 km between Bangur Nagar and Mindspace (Malad). The packages C and D will include twin tunnels–3.9 km long–connecting Mindspace at Malad with Charkop in Kandivali. Package E will be 3.78 km, connecting Charkop with Gorai and the final Package F will be 3.69 km and connect Gorai with Dahisar.
Pegged at Rs 20,000 crore, the Phase 2 of Mumbai coastal road will be a 25 km-long high-speed corridor comprising underground tunnels, cable-stayed bridges and vehicular interchanges. The alignment of the road has been planned in such a way that it will traverse through mangrove patches, creeks and forest zones. As a result, a significant proportion of green cover is set to be affected.
