In Uran: Green swap, total flop

JNPT, state forest dept planted hilly trees to compensate for 20ha of cleared mangroves

MUMBAI: Responses to a right to information (RTI) application have revealed that Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and the state forest department have planted terrestrial trees, like peepal and karanja, in areas where mangrove afforestation should have taken place. In two locations in Uran, terrestrial saplings have been planted in lieu of mangroves, which environment groups say is a violation of Coastal Zone Regulation (CRZ) norms.

Over the past two years, 97,500 saplings of terrestrial trees have been planted in Koproli and Kalambasure, two hilly areas in Uran, to compensate for removing mangrove forests across 19.8 hectare (approximately 20,000 mangrove trees) elsewhere. “This kind of manipulation of compensatory afforestation is absurd,” said Nandkumar Pawar of Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishthan (SEAP), the group that filed the RTI, adding that they will be sharing the details with the Centre.

“Compensatory plantation is carried out depending on the available area. In this case, the forest department could provide reserved forest land on hilly areas across these two villages,” said Makarand Ghodke, assistant conservator of forest, state mangrove cell. “However, JNPT needs to plant mangroves as well, and five times of the amount lost.” A senior forest department official said on condition of anonymity that planting terrestrial trees was allowed, but parallel mangrove sapling plantation also needed to be done.

A JNPT official said the compensatory afforestation process was carried out in consultation with the forest department. “We only paid for the restoration measures involved in the removal of mangrove trees. Remaining mangrove patches in Uran remain untouched,” the official said.

In 2016, JNPT received environment clearance to remove mangrove forests across 19.8 hectares (approximately 20,000 mangrove trees) for the construction of a Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal Private Limited (BMCTPL) container in Uran. Road widening activities along with the construction of a port and jetty area destroyed mudflats that are home to wetland birds including flamingos. According to the CRZ notification 2011 and Environment Protection Act 1986, for any mangrove area destroyed while undertaking development, the compensatory mangrove afforestation should be five times the mangrove trees destroyed.

Activists said there is no provision in the CRZ notification that allows terrestrial vegetation to compensate for mangroves. “This is completely unscientific as the loss of coastal wetlands and mangroves cannot be compensated with terrestrial saplings. There is no correlation between the two,” said Stalin D, director, NGO Vanashakti.

The forest department said there was an 81% survival rate of the terrestrial trees. Mangrove restoration projects carried out by the state mangrove cell have had mixed results. HT had reported on July 12, 2017 that of 84,970 saplings planted by the state mangrove cell at Charkop in Kandivli, only eight saplings survived. However, areas like Bhandup and Airoli witnessed a 98.5% and 90% survival rate. Large-scale mangrove destruction in Uran by JNPT has led to a loss of fishing areas, migratory bird habitats and an overall change in the wetlands, confirmed the independent wildlife research organisation, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). “There are hardly any wetlands left now,” said Deepak Apte, director, BNHS. “An impending threat of bird hits to the Navi Mumbai airport persists if remaining wetlands are also reclaimed.”