Sonal Alvares

This evening, outside the NHAI Office, we said that destroying more than 4,000 mature trees during the monsoon to widen a road that passes through an elephant habitat reflects a deeply flawed model of development. We questioned why forests and wildlife should pay the price for the Rishikesh Bhaniawala road widening project that many commuters say is not needed. We also made it clear that we will continue to stand for the protection of our Jal, Jungle and Jamin in #Uttarakhand. More power to us all 👍 @NHAI_Official

@sardesairajdeep "Roots of 40+ yo tree butchered by the drain dug up and concretised on one side of the tree and road on the other side of the tree! @mybmc @mybmcWardHW 15th road Bandra west where few months ago all roads and drains were dug up and concretised! " / X

DELHI RAINS: The defining image of this monsoon? Trees crashing across our metros. Governments—at the Centre and in the states—boast of “greening” India. The reality is just the opposite: we are relentlessly concretising our cities, choking tree roots and destroying urban green cover. Where is the money going for all the ‘green city’ campaigns? This video is from this morning near the ISKCON temple in Delhi.

How We Live and Die in This City There is no such thing as a 'natural disaster' or a 'freak accident'. Abysmal safety protocols, overburdened services, flawed procurement practices, and impunity for contractors make the occurrence of so-called ‘accidents’ inevitable in Mumbai Read full piece in today's Mumbai Mirror: mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/opinion/how-we… Thanks to @tajmahalfoxtrot for the title

लोकशाहीत सरकारला प्रश्न विचारणे म्हणजे बदनामी नाही! हजारो कोटींचा प्रकल्प फक्त दोन महिन्यात त्याच्या निकृष्ट कामाबाबत प्रश्न विचारले तर मुख्यमंत्री त्यांना भाडे के टटू म्हणतात हे निषेधार्ह आहे! माझी बदनामी करा, पण महाराष्ट्राची बदनामी केली तर सोडणार नाही, असे म्हणणाऱ्या मुख्यमंत्र्यांनी आधी महाराष्ट्राची बदनामी नेमकी कोण करत आहे, याचा विचार करायला हवा! मिसिंग लिंक प्रकल्पावर प्रश्न विचारणारे, खड्डे, निकृष्ट दर्जाचे काम, अपघात आणि जनतेच्या पैशांचा हिशेब मागणारे लोक महाराष्ट्राची बदनामी करत नाहीत. उलट, हजारो कोटींचे प्रकल्प उभे करून काही महिन्यांतच त्यात दोष निर्माण होणे, जनतेच्या सुरक्षेचा प्रश्न निर्माण होणे आणि जनतेचा पैसा खड्ड्यात जाणे ही महाराष्ट्राची बदनामी आहे! लोकशाहीत जनतेच्या पैशातून उभे राहणाऱ्या प्रकल्पांबाबत पारदर्शकता अपेक्षित असणे,सरकारला जबाबदारी घ्यायल्या सांगणे हा प्रत्येक नागरिकाचा अधिकार आहे. जर काम दर्जेदार असेल, तर टीकेला उत्तर तथ्यांनी द्यावे. पण प्रश्न विचारणाऱ्यांना बदनाम करणे, त्यांच्यावर आरोप करणे आणि टीकाकारांना भाड्याची लोक म्हणणे ही लोकशाहीला न शोभणारी भूमिका आहे. महाराष्ट्राची बदनामी टीका करणाऱ्यांमुळे होत नाही, तर अपूर्ण नियोजन, निकृष्ट कामे, अपघात, भ्रष्टाचाराच्या आरोपांमुळे आणि उत्तरदायित्व टाळणाऱ्या सत्ताधाऱ्यांमुळे, कंत्राटदारांमुळे होते. प्रश्न विचारणाऱ्यांना गप्प करण्यापेक्षा, जनतेच्या प्रश्नांची उत्तरे द्या. कारण महाराष्ट्राची प्रतिष्ठा घोषणांनी नाही, तर चांगल्या कारभाराने टिकते!

#FoodForThought This video by @jay4oceans explains how the Waste Cement Slurry from the numerous construction sites across #Mumbai are discharged into Storm Water Drains, which later harden & choke the drain pipes.... resulting in unprecedented Flooding Across Mumbai and even at never before flood prone areas. With the numerous construction activity across the city,. unless this is checked/controlled ....Flooding may go out of Control. #MumbaiFloods #MumbaiRains #BuilderMafia

We had been saying for sometime. This was the plan all along! Slowly kill BEST from within and then monetize BEST depots. The reason why buses were reduced, wet lease was encouraged, private bus operators were given preference is because the aim was always to unlock the BEST depots, prime property across Mumbai. We have already seen what happens when you give away BEST depot land in places like Mahim - the number of bus services are no longer as they used to be in the area, many bus routes have changed. They want to do this now across the city! This is just murder of BEST!

Hello My BMC Do you really want to know why trees fall in Mumbai? 1- Excessive Trimming That weakens trees Year after year 2- Bottom trimming That makes tree taller & top heavy And ready to fall 3- Sucking away ground water for basement construction Drying away the tree roots

Look what the gusty winds has gone to banner outside Toscano CHS On Manuel Gonsalves Road. These banners are so dangerous but neither politicians nor BMC is concerned about the welfare of humans or the city. They still continue to collude @mybmc @mybmcWardHW

@rubenmasc Roots of 40+ yo tree butchered by the drain dug up and concretised on one side of the tree and road on the other side. This is 15th road Bandra west...@mybmc has signed a death warrant on trees! @mybmcWardHW who is responsible for this loss?

The sheer no of trees being uprooted this year during the onset of rains points to poor trimming, excessive concretisation impeding root systems and non-native tree species without adequate roots to withstand weather conditions. The ‘end-of-life’ event for trees being uprooted during rains is bogus. The extent of the brainwashing, to somehow deflect attention from the BJP is mind boggling. #Mumbai #BMC

Roots of 40+ yo tree butchered by the drain dug up and concretised on one side and road on the other. @mybmc @mybmcWardHW who is responsible? This is 15th road Bandra west where few months ago all roads and drains were dug up and concretised!

@mashrujeet Recently dug up and concretised from both sides, see drain on one side and road on the other. Roots butchered by these works! 15th road Bandra @mybmc @mybmcWardHW who is responsible?

Here's another story worth reading: A risk assessment survey conducted on pilot basis in Mumbai's H west ward (Bandra west, Khar west, Santacruz west) on nearly 5000 trees has shown that a “high proportion” of the trees are in poor health because of years of unscientific pruning and inadequate maintenance by the civic body. “A high proportion of these 5,000 trees pose a risk because many have been damaged by repeated road works, unscientific pruning and multiple stress factors, including ageing, pest infestations and fungal attacks,” an executive from the firm conducting the survey said. Full story by @DiwakarSharmaa in @TheMumbaiMirror

A story worth reading in Hindustan Times. BMC gave tree-care contracts to builders as they made low bids 🌳🌴 Read that again. Maintenance of trees across Mumbai given to builders. We now see the results. Data accessed by HT has revealed that BMC awarded contracts worth ₹42.24 crore to remove and prune dead and dangerous trees across 23 municipal wards from May 2026 to May 2027 to construction and infrastructure contractors – not known for specialised arboriculture or urban forestry. story by @linahOlinah in @HT_Mumbai

It’s impossible to keep up with misinformation that’s spreading on social media about the whale stranding in Bandra on Saturday morning. From claims of it being a humpback whale to it being AI generated and the worst, that the whale was killed on purpose for oil and ambergris. Some facts: The Blue whale calf which was first noticed by staff working at the VBSL staff at around 7:30AM, who informed the Mumbai Police and the Mumbai Fire Brigade in an effort to start rescue efforts. By the time the @MumbaiStranding team reached the site, the calf, which was injured and bleeding had passed away. Do we need better infrastructure and reporting systems for such incidents? Yes. But to say the whale was allowed to die or was deliberately killed is absolute rubbish and disrespectful to every person who was there that day. Marine mammal science and conservation in India is in its nascency. We adapt to, and work with what we have, and we learn from each experience so the next time something similar happens we can be better prepared. Thank you, @ranjeetnature for reporting what actually happened and getting the truth out.

@suchetadalal @TeestaSetalvad @LaraJesani @MissNatasha1000 @zoru75 @rajuparulekar @pervinsanghvi @noronha_vinod @AUThackeray @amrita_02 @VanashaktiIndia @sumairaabdulali @mangrovesindia @Iam_Zidaan @imbhaskarprabhu @Kamlakar_Shenoy @szaveri71 @geetaseshu @AlvaresSonal

Cities that cut trees for concrete shouldn’t be surprised when nights stop cooling down. Heatwaves are no longer just daytime disasters, they’re becoming 24/7 public health emergencies, especially for the poor/outdoor workers. Urban planning is climate policy now!!! @PMOIndia

Mumbai is now a free-for all paradise for builders and contractors with friends in power: Cut as many trees as you want, conjure up with ridiculous infra projects worth thousands of crores, build high-rises in places fire engines can't reach.

Environmental NGO Vanashakti has alleged large-scale discrepancies in mangrove compensatory afforestation linked to the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road project, accusing authorities of misleading the Bombay High Court and warning of possible perjury proceedings. #mangrove #versovabhayandarcoastalroadproject #mangrovecutting

You know how much Pune Riverfront Development project costs? …₹5000 crores and more! This is the cost of killing natural riverbanks, concretising them, cutting thousands of trees, and building amusement (not recreational) spaces (badically glorified chowpatty) for bored people. Destruction is cheap in India 🙂 What could we have done with all that money? Clean Mula and Mutha, rejuvenate natural streams, nurture riverbanks, set up Sewage treatment plants, make riverbanks accessible for recreation. Look at the immediate downstream of Pune. Most of your vegetables are grown using this water… it contaminates groundwater.. enjoy this riverfront view! 😢 @CMOMaharashtra @NaMo4PM @jaljeevan_ @PMCPune @navalMH

@GreenStalin @mybmc @htTweets A community built this park 25 years ago. BMC submitted a document with blanks where accountability should be. No public notice. No alternate plans. No answers. We showed up anyway. With signatures, with experts, with a proposal. We are not done. #NanaNaniPark #MumbaiCoastalRoad