Greens blame CRZ norms for flooding

Mumbai: The recent rains have showed that the city needs to effectively implement coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms and preserve its natural floodplains. While construction of the coastal road was marooned due to one day of incessant rain, the entire township of Palava was completely flooded Sunday, taking an entire day for the water to drain.

Environmentalists claimed that it was the result of building concrete structures on the floodplains and projects like the Navi Mumbai airport and Seawoods golf course were likely to aggravate the situation.

The ground floor of the plush society Palava went completely under water with vehicles in the parking lot submerged under five feet water even as residents rushed to the first floor. NGO Vanashakti stated in its petition that this was the consequence of reclaiming the floodplains next to the Dasai river on Kalyan-Shilphata road where the Palava township is located.

“Next to the Dasai River on the Kalyan-Shilphata road, the farmlands were subjected to flooding during heavy rains. The farmers took permission to build walls near their farms. However, they were later sold to builders who came up with the township,” said Stalin Dayanand, project director, Vanashakti. “Earlier, the rain used to be heavier upstream, which the builders assumed would gush into the river. However it was not taken into consideration that if it rained heavily in nearby areas, the walls would obstruct the rainwater from flowing into the river,” he said.

Activists said that the residential complex along the golf course planned at Seawoods was likely to meet the same fate. “Reclamation of the huge area of the Talawe wetland will lead to flooding in the area; the Bombay high court, too, has observed it. We are witnessing flooding in Uran and Belapur for the first time due to reclamation in the Ulwe and NMSEZ wetlands,” said Sunil Agarwal, a Navi Mumbai-based activist.