Saving the natural shield

All it took was an episode of extreme rainfall for the Maximum City to come to a halt. As Mumbai surpassed its season’s average rain in just two months on Sunday, nature’s fury could be witnessed in Maharashtra capital and surrounding areas, which were submerged in water. The deluge not only caused flooding in the suburbs but also froze central and harbour line services in their tracks, prompting many to wonder what is it that makes Mumbai so vulnerable to flooding in such cases?

Of course, extreme rainfall due to climate change is a major factor that can’t be ignored as the city’s unsystematic urbanisation and outdated sewage system also play a huge role. One of the biggest factors that activists have been trying to address for a long time is the vulnerability of the mangrove cover in the city and the suburbs.

While mangroves dot the landscape of Mumbai, their significance eludes the general public. “Mangroves are the sponges that hold floodwater, preventing it from inundating the mainland, and they also act as a barrier in the case of high tide. These mangroves that grow on the shoreline act like natural walls and sponges, so they need to be protected,” says environmentalist Stalin D. of the NGO Vanashakti. Moreover, mangrove trees have a tremendous capacity to absorb carbon and heavy metal pollutants, hence reducing pollution.

The peninsular city, which once enjoyed a rich wetland ecosystem, has undergone rapid concretisation, doing away with the shield that mangroves serve as to an extent. “One of the threats to mangroves is also posed by slums that are being created inside mangroves,” adds Stalin. While encroachments for expansion is one issue, unsustainable development plans undertaken by the government are other reason for the depletion of the city’s mangrove cover.

Debi Goenka, an environmentalist and activist, who has taken up the cause of mangrove conservation with Conservation Action Trust, surmises it bluntly. “I think the biggest problems are government projects such as the Navi Mumbai International Airport, the bullet train, and Coastal Road, which are going to destroy large chunks of mangroves. What’s happening is that the government thinks that it can destroy our natural infrastructure for the sake of concrete infrastructure,” he says.

It may be recalled that Maharashtra transport minister Diwakar Raote announcement, in the latter part of June, that as many as 54,000 mangroves spread over 13.36 hectares were going to be affected because of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project caused a furore among environmentalists.

Moreover, environmentalist Zoru Bathena had to file a petition in the high court when the proposed cutting of mangroves for the Bandra-Versova sealink grew manifold.

Additionally, an imbalanced and excessive usage of wetlands for livelihood purposes is also a factor more or less ignored.

Shedding light on the matter, Ajay Govale of the NGO United Way says, “In aquaculture, if you create bunds that are going to stop inter-tidal activities, mangroves will die because they are denied the fresh flow of tidal waters. So, creating bunds in a manner that leads to excessive fishing or aquaculture without keeping mangroves in consideration is a factor.”

While the wetlands of Mumbai face multi-faceted threats, Mumbaikars must step up to play an active role in conserving these natural shields.

“If there is any illegal dumping of construction waste in wetlands, nobody cares because it does not come into your sight. Such instances happen in an isolated way so it does not bother you. That is why they have become more vulnerable and susceptible,” Govale points out.

Moreover, a special mangrove cell set up under the forest department is also known to be quite active. Goenka also urges citizens to become more aware and accountable. “As far as citizens are concerned, I can only ask then to keep their eyes open, and if they learn of mangrove destruction, they should complain to the cell; and if they are worried about the repercussions, then they can complain confidentially,” he says.