Debris has been illegally dumped in various locations close to the mangroves patch in and around Lokhandwala in Andheri West
Once again, the city's mangroves are in danger of being destroyed. A patch of mangroves adjacent to the Lokhandwala back road on a 200m stretch, are endangered because construction debris is being dumped there, a report said in this paper. Activists are fretting because they say time is running out for the Mangroves Cell to act.
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Debris has been illegally dumped in various locations close to the mangroves patch in and around Lokhandwala in Andheri West. Locals say they have approached their political representatives who have yet to respond.
Mangroves are being lost in Mumbai at an astonishing rate, in spite of so much media coverage about the ecological imbalance that this denuded mangrove cover causes. This is happening in a city which continues to be forced to sacrifice green space and trees to builders' bulldozers and infra projects. At other times, they are hoodwinked into doing so. Locals are worn thin trying to make complaints and to attest the disappointing encroachment on open spaces and the steady slipping away of the little green cover.
It is all the more important that somebody pays attention when it is pointed out that debris is being dumped at a certain site. Local leaders have to at least visit the site that the residents point to. This is the first step which establishes a chain – post confirmation of the debris dumping, investigations must follow and culprits caught. That shows seriousness of intent, justifying your leadership and becoming one with the community.
The saving of mangroves must be priority and it begins at the local level. Dumping construction debris on mangroves or very close to it is modus operandi for the destruction of mangroves. We have seen this happening elsewhere in the city, with sickening frequency. Those in power need to step in now.
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