sharan

Is it normal to lose all sense of peace when all you read about is the number of trees that are being massacred in your home city? A snapshot of what is ongoing courtesy Google: 1. Aarey Colony (Goregaon)  •Context: Known as the "lungs of Mumbai," this 1,200-hectare area has faced consistent deforestation for metro projects. •Project: Mumbai Metro Line 3 car shed and allied, construction, and infrastructural development. •Impact: Over 2,100 trees were removed for the car shed, with ongoing legal battles over the felling of further trees, including 177+ trees for ramps and access roads.  2. Versova–Bhayandar Coastal Road (Western Suburbs)  •Context: The northern extension of the Coastal Road project, threatening mangrove-rich areas. •Location: Charkop, Gorai, Dahisar, and Versova. •Impact: The Bombay High Court permitted the felling/transplanting of over 45,000 mangrove trees for this project. •Specific Areas: Nana Nani Park at Seven Bungalows, Versova (184 trees to be felled, 164 transplanted).  3. Dindoshi Hills (Malad East) •Context: A 138-hectare green zone near Sanjay Gandhi National Park. •Impact: Threatened by private real estate developers, excavation, and urbanization, leading to the destruction of biodiversity, including karvy plants and wildlife.  4. Mumbai Metro Line 9 Depot (Mira-Bhayandar) •Context: Project connecting Andheri to Mira-Bhayandar. •Impact: Proposed removal of over 1,400 trees in the Dongri area for the car depot.  5. Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) •Context: Commercial business hub development. •Impact: Around 499 trees are affected for the construction of an elevated pod taxi service.  6. Metro Line 11 (Wadala to Gateway of India)  •Context: Underground metro project. •Impact: Expected to impact over 2,200 trees for station entry/exit points and ventilation shafts.  7. Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR)  •Context: A major project aimed at improving connectivity between eastern and western suburbs. •Impact: Requires substantial tree-cutting permissions to widen roads and construct tunnels, impacting green cover in the Goregaon-Mulund range.  8. Coastal Areas and Mangrove Belts •Locations: Mithi River, Mahim Creek, Malad Creek, and Thane Creek. •Impact: Continuous loss due to debris dumping, slum rehabilitation (SRA), and infrastructure projects.  9. Other Noted Areas •Sion Fort: Areas surrounding the heritage structure. •Hiranandani Helipad Hill (Ghatkopar):Continued pressure on remaining hill forests. •Royal Palms (Aarey): Continued real estate development.  Data from 2018–2023 showed that over 21,000 trees were cut in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), with the highest number of 5,584 trees cut in 2022 alone. While compensatory plantation is required, studies have shown a low survival rate (only 22% in some areas) of transplanted trees.  Also, compensatory afforestation is mostly carried out outside Mumbai, because there is “no open space” to plant within the city.