‘Builders’ greed for space cut forests by 50%’

MUMBAI Arvind Untawale, executive secretary of the Mangrove Society of India, a non-profit organisation formed in 1990 that works towards the preservation of existing mangrove forests, highlights the main reason for the destruction of mangroves in Mumbai. destroyed is for the construction of houses. There are massive apartment buildings today that stand amidst thick mangrove cover after receiving all clearances from the state government. While the rest of the state is trying to protect its mangrove cover through various awareness activities, Mumbai has lost more than 50% of its mangrove cover through the builderpolitician nexus in the past 16 years. Various NGOS and citizen groups have been regularly going to court to stop these violations. However, this has only made the builder lobby cautious and led to covert ways of destroying mangroves. The only protected areas in Mumbai are Thane creek, Vikhroli and parts of Vasai creek. Even after a landmark judgment by the Bombay high court in 2014, which banned the destruction of mangroves, the laws still have not been effective. The government is very cautious in implementing those court orders because they destroy the opportunity of any under-the-table deals with the builder lobby. The examples can be

clearly seen through projects such as the coastal road getting environmental clearances. It is solely the state government’s responsibility to increase vigilance for widespread mangrove destruction cases in Mumbai and make sure that a repeat of the 2005 deluge does not happen. Awareness levels have increased only because of NGOS and citizen groups fighting to save mangroves not only in Mumbai, but Maharashtra also. If there is pressure from the citizens, the government will be forced to take steps in the right direction