Following reports of excessive mangrove growth along Mumbai’s waterways and how it could potentially lead to flooding during the upcoming monsoon, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar called for a review meeting on Monday with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to discuss the condition of stormwater drains in the city.
Mayor Pednekar said that she will go through the preliminary results from a study being conducted by NGO Srushti Conservation Foundation. The NGO had estimated that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) lost nearly 107 square kilometres of waterways and agricultural land since 1990.
The aforementioned study is being led by the former director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Dr Deepak Apte. He explained that the high siltation over the last 30 years has led to agricultural lands on Mumbai’s coastline turning into mangrove forests or mudflats. This consequently leads to the shallowing as well as the shrinking of Mumbai’s creeks, Dr Apte added.
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Adding to the list of concerns is the fact that nearly 47 sq km of area in the Mumbai-Thane creek has already been lost. This, the experts say, could affect the biodiversity of the region including the flamingo population.
Speaking to HT over the phone, Mayor Pednekar said, “I will be sitting down with chief engineers of the civic departments concerned to review whether desilting work in the eastern and western suburbs will be enough to prevent flooding in the city. We will also discuss ways in which the Srushti Conservation Foundation’s suggestions for desilting creeks can be implemented.”
The Mayor spoke at a press conference on Sunday saying, “Mumbai would have already been under water had we not taken appropriate steps to manage siltation in Mithi River. Ahead of this monsoon, we will take all steps to ensure de-clogging of areas, but we cannot say that Mumbai will never flood.”
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