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To,
Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh,
Chief Minister,
Maharashtra
The city's remaining green lungs – the mangroves – are the last remaining buffers that safeguard our city from natural disasters. Protecting them means preserving our lives.
Since the birth of Mumbai city, mangroves have been a natural part of our coastline, protecting our environment. Blessed with rich biodiversity, mangroves save us from the fury of the Arabian Sea - cyclones, tsunamis, floods… Mangroves stabilise Mumbai's climate – moderating temperature, humidity and wind. Had we appreciated their worth, Mumbai would never have witnessed the disastrous July 26, 2005 deluge.
Unfortunately, builders, city planners, even some of our best-known architects have undermined the need for mangroves and wetlands in the city. From over 37 sq. km. of mangroves spread over Versova, Malad, Gorai and other areas, with sporadic patches in places such as Bandra, Malabar Hill and Colaba, Mumbai today, has probably lost 40 per cent of all its mangroves in the past decade or so. By inching closer to the sea, we are inviting on ourselves the risk of flooding, and upsetting the ecological balance.
Several commercial hubs such as Bandra-Kurla Complex and malls on New Link Road in Malad have already seen mangrove swamps being replaced with extensive concrete structures. Even the excellent mangrove forests in Lokhandwala, Bandra, Malad, Charkop, Borivali, Vikhroli are screaming to be saved. We are in a situation, where High Court orders, CRZ and many other laws protecting mangroves are being flouted blatantly.
That's the reason we need to make a choice NOW – a choice to fight the pressures of development, human interference or pollution. A choice to save our lifeline. And, 'Mumbaikars for Mangroves' campaign is an ongoing movement to stop this mindless erosion, by bringing together a collective majority to support the cause of saving our city's natural bounty.
We Mumbaikars urge you, Mr Chief Minister, to treat this as an emergency, and call for a meeting with the authorities responsible for protecting the mangroves. Initiate instant action to implement our five-step formula listed below to stop the destruction of our city's mangroves by safeguarding the remaining ones.
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“Mangroves are like natural buffers to the city, and we need to protect them. Today, we are into mindless development across the city without considering the Mumbai fragile imbalance of ecology. I appreciate the mangroves campaign and authorities need to realise their responsibility towards them.”
“It was the July 26 deluge that rang the alarm. Now, we have to wake up. This is what ‘Mumbaikars for Mangroves’ aims to do. We are alive today, only because of the remaining mangroves. Development should not happen at the cost of cutting mangroves. We are only saving our own future. If we do not act now, then it will be too late for anything.”
It’s high time we save mangroves, as it protects Mumbai from all kinds of natural calamities. Each one of us must support this cause. Global warming has spared no one, and we cannot avoid this issue for long. A city cannot afford to lose its green cover any further. We must act now or live to regret it later.