Mangrove park to be set up in Bhandup

Bhandup will soon be the epicentre of eco-tourism in the city as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to set up a mangrove park at this eastern suburb.

As a part of its ‘Smart City’ project plans, the BMC will be developing mangrove forests along the Kanjurmarg-Bhandup-Nahur-Mulund stretch into a mangrove park, which is likely to give boost to tourism in eastern suburbs, often a neglected region when it comes to attracting tourists. “BMC’s smart city plans include promoting eco-tourism at Bhandup, where there are a large number of mangroves. There were plans to create a mangrove park there earlier. We now want to revive them,” said additional municipal commissioner S.V.R. Srinivas.

According to civic officials, the park plan involves a pathway that would run through the mangroves and can be used for bird watching and recreation. Along with this, the civic body also plans to have information hubs, nature trails, birdwatching and specialised observation cubicles. The demand to set up a Mangrove Wetland Centre (MWC) at Bhandup has been long-standing. But it has not materialised due to the apathetic approach of the state and BMC officials.

The state forest department had planned to create a mangrove park with the help of NGO Conservation Action Trust (CAT) by developing 1,000 acres of wetland between Bhandup and Kanjurmarg as a Mangrove Wetland Centre (MWC). To be built on the lines of the Mai Po Wetland Park in Hong Kong, the centre was supposed to allow visitors to walk through mangrove forests, observe first-hand diverse wetland plants, birds and animals and learn about the ecological influence they have on the city. However, the project kept gathering dust with the forest department for years.

Debi Goenka, head (CAT) and the brain behind the project, expressed joy over the decision to revive the project. “Mangroves play a very key role in environment protection as they prevent flooding, global warming, rising sea level and climate change. The city cannot survive without mangroves. But despite their importance, mangrove forests are being neglected by people and authorities,” said Mr Goenka.

“The basic aim of the MWC was protection of mangroves as well as recreation. We had also planned to provide jobs to local fishermen,” he added.