To compensate loss of green cover, BMC to acquire 15-acre plot in Borivali for creating mangrove nurseries

Indian Express

4 days ago

Five months after floating an expression of interest for leasing land parcels to grow mangrove nurseries on them, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to acquire a 15-acre plot at Borivali's Eksar. The land will be adjoining the alignment of the new coastal road connecting Versova in Mumbai's western suburbs with Bhayander in north Mumbai, officials said.
The civic body's move is set to compensate for the loss of green cover for the proposed 25-km-long high-speed corridor set to be built at a cost of Rs 25,000 crore. The project will require 165 hectares of land where 60,000 mangrove trees are present. Out of them, 9,000 trees will be cut for the purpose of constructing piers and pillars for an elevated road. The remaining 51,000 trees fall in the influence zone area, areas around the periphery of temporary structures that will be constructed and the shadow of the upcoming bridge.
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.
Civic officials said the primary idea behind leasing the land parcels is to plant mangrove saplings, which will grow up to full grown mangroves within the period of a few years. After that, the grown mangroves could be transplanted in areas where there might have been a shortfall or may be allowed to grow on these nurseries depending on the nature of requirement.
In February, the BMC floated an expression of interest asking private owners to lease out land for setting up land parcels. Civic officials have said the plot that has been shortlisted is privately owned and will be handed over to the BMC on lease and a licence agreement for 5-10 years. This plot will be used for transplanting mangrove trees that will be affected for the project as well as for the plantation of new saplings.
'We have checked the suitability. One of the key aspects that one needs to keep in mind while selecting lands for these kinds of purposes is to ensure that the land is accessible and it shouldn't be either fully landlocked nor it should be in isolation. The land parcel also needs to be located in an intertidal zone so that it allows an inflow of water,' a senior official privy to this matter told The Indian Express.
The official also maintained that the BMC is on the lookout for more similar land parcels to set up mangrove nurseries on them.
Govt's in-principle clearance
The official said the Maharashtra government's mangrove cell had given in-principle clearance for this project. At present, the civic authorities are carrying out deed verification of this project along with the legal aspects of the project. The officials maintained that in the next one month the agreement will be finalised.
'After we get the land, it will be handed over to the Mangrove cell or forest department, since they are the experts in this field. We have a plan to do a sapling plantation for more than one lakh mangroves, since the plot is very bad. The number of trees and seedlings that will be planted and transplanted will be much more than the affected number of trees because we will have to ensure that the loss of green cover is compensated and also to keep the mortality rates in check,' the official said.
On April 7, the civic authorities invited suggestions and objections from citizens after issuing a public notice stating that 9,000 mangrove trees will be cut for the coastal road project.
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 long, connecting Charkop with Gorai.
The final package F will be 3.69 km long and connect Gorai with Dahisar. From Dahisar, the civic authorities are constructing a 5.6 km elevated corridor till Bhayander in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Phase two of the coastal road will be a series of underground tunnels, cable-stayed bridge and vehicular interchanges that will improve north-south connectivity. The coastal road will also provide connectivity with Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, an east-west connector that is also being constructed by the Mumbai civic body.