On World Wetlands Day on Wednesday, environmentalists held a morcha at Azad Maidan in a desperate bid to save the fast disappearing mangroves on Mumbai’s coastline.
And their message to the state government was clear—‘‘Save the Mangroves to Save Mumbai’’.
Three thousand acres of lush mangrove wetlands in the city were destroyed in the last five years. And Mumbai’s building lobby is considered to be primarily responsible.
Mangrove-reclaimed land is primarily used for residential and office complexes, and sometimes even recreational facilities—like the golf course built in Goregaon.
‘‘We are shocked that instead of implementing the coastal regulation zone (CRZ), the state has urged the Centre to relax CRZ norms, which will lead to serious depletion of city mangroves,’’ said activist Rishi Agarwal of the Versova-Lokhandwala Mangrove Forum.
‘‘Organisations like CLEAN Mumbai, Save Andheri-Versova Environment (SAVE) Forum, Oasis and others plan to involve corporates and the government in a fresh effort to protect what’s left of them,’’ said Kunti Oza of CLEAN Mumbai.
What they do for humans
They are natural buffers between the land and the sea and save Mumbai from sea erosion. They bear the brunt of a rough sea during storms or tsunamis. Their roots absorb water pollution—including dangerous items like mercury— and ‘lock’ it, preventing it from getting into the food chain.
Breeding grounds
Many varieties of aquatic life, including fish and prawns, breed here. Mangroves are also nesting grounds for birds including migratory fliers like the pink flamingo and the steppes eagle.
Banners at the morcha read:
‘‘Do away with illogical-thinking politicians and not the CRZ laws’’. ‘‘Mangroves, lifeline of Mumbai’’. ‘‘Save Mangroves to save Mankind’’ were just some of the banners.
‘‘They are instrumental for future generations. They saved many areas from devastation during the tsunami,’’ said Usha Vijay Sukhija, executive director, Oasis.