While Mumbai's deteriorating air quality has been a matter of concern, now it has come to light that Mumbai's greenery is rapidly diminishing. Shocking information came out in the data requested by The Indian Express from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) under Right to Information. This information has revealed that 21,028 trees have been cut in Mumbai for various development projects in the last six years. It has been revealed that most trees have been cut for projects such as Metro, Bullet Train, Coastal Road, Sewage Treatment Plant and Goregaon-Mulund Link Road.
According to the information provided by the Mumbai Municipality, between 2018 and 2023, as many as 21,916 trees were replanted. But the survival rate of these trees is very low. Only nine of the 24 wards have data on survival of trees. According to these figures, 4,338 trees were replanted in nine wards, of which only 963 (22 per cent) trees have survived. Another matter of concern for Mumbaikars is that the civic body said that the number of trees in the city is 29,75,283. But according to the disclosure made by the authorities, this tree census is from the year 2011.
Administrative officials said that 90 per cent of the tree felling permits were given for infrastructure and development works. Former Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, who was transferred last week, said that many development projects gained momentum in the last six years. These projects were pending for many years. However, in the last three-four years, tree felling permits were given to speed up the works of the projects. Chahal further said that in any city in the world, while building infrastructure, the city's trees have to be axed. In the case of Mumbai, we will compensate for this loss by creating Mumbai's Central Park on a combined 300 acres of Mahalakshmi Race Course and Coastal Road Promenade.
Environmental experts, social activists, dignitaries in the education sector have expressed concern about the decreasing greenery in Mumbai. Speaking to The Indian Express, Professor Raghu Murtugudd of IIT Mumbai said that the temperature is increasing due to the decrease in the number of trees. A change in the rainfall cycle is being seen due to the increase in the temperature of the Arabian Sea. If we can stop the felling of trees in Mumbai, then the changing climate cycle can be prevented to some extent in the future. It cannot be forgotten that trees play an important role in temperature control.
Meanwhile, BMC officials have given a response to The Indian Express that they will conduct a new tree census this year. Parks Department Superintendent Jitendra Pardeshi said that the target has been set to increase greenery in Mumbai by 40 percent in the next five years.
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