Navi Mumbai: Environmentalists Urge Restoration of Vashi Mangroves, Call for Debris Clearance

Navi Mumbai: Environmentalists are urging authorities to clear debris from a four-hectare mangrove destruction site in Vashi and develop a mangrove trail and park in its place. They propose utilising the removed debris for landfilling the Ghansoli-Airoli road project, for which the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has already issued a work order.

B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, highlighted that the Mangrove Cell’s Navi Mumbai unit has successfully cleared encroachments from the affected mangrove area near the Vashi railway station (survey number 7). However, the debris remains, delaying restoration efforts.

“It is crucial to restore mangroves in the same location where they were destroyed,” Kumar emphasized, criticizing the current practice of compensatory afforestation, where terrestrial saplings are planted miles away in places like Jalgaon or Gadchiroli instead of restoring lost mangroves locally.

In response, NMMC has asked the construction company to explore the possibility of using debris from the Vashi site for the Ghansoli project instead of sourcing it from Mumbai. Advocate and activist Pradeep Patole called for better coordination between the Mangrove Cell, NMMC, and the Konkan Divisional Commissioner to ensure proper restoration at the Vashi site.

NatConnect also suggested that NMMC’s proposed Mangrove Park could be developed at Vashi itself. The wooden trail structure could be built alongside the plantation process, allowing smooth execution without disturbing the ecosystem. Kumar cited the challenges faced during the construction of the Gorai-Dahisar mangrove trail, where extreme precautions were needed to avoid harming existing tidal plants.

Setting up the park at the Vashi site before new mangroves grow would be far more feasible than modifying an established mangrove habitat. Meanwhile, environmentalists have raised concerns over NMMC’s initial proposal to develop the park in the Ghansoli-Airoli stretch, arguing that it could disrupt existing dense mangrove patches.