Several environmental activists in Mumbai have been appealing to the civic authorities to stop the landfilling work at Aarey as muck is being dumped on the floodplain and catchment area of the Mithi river which can be harmful and pose massive flood risks.
According to reports, environmentalist Sanjeev Valsan has also filed a police complaint against the ongoing landfilling. In a statement, he elucidated, “It is sad to see landfilling is underway on five acres of land that is a floodplain and also the catchment area of Mithi River. This land is between the old Aarey forest nursery at Marol toll Naka and JVLR. There is a huge flood risk due to landfill. Who is doing this? Does the Aarey CEO know about this?”
Aarey has been the subject of discussion for environmentalists for a couple of years now. Back in 1977, around 200 hectares of Aarey forest were cleared to make space for the Film City. In 2010, the proposed plan to expand the Byculla Zoo to include a night safari route for tourists was put into action. A further 40 acres of forested land was cleared to accommodate this expansion.
Meanwhile, the Aarey forests have been the last remaining patch of greenery in the city of Mumbai. Earlier, several activists had been battling against the felling of trees in the area. The forest is home to rich biodiversity which is being damaged as a consequence of the development projects. There are 27 tribal hamlets within Aarey Colony with nine hamlets across Force One, Film City, Veterinary College and SRPF areas. Last year, the government declared 800 acres of Aarey Colony as forest.
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