The Union Environment Ministry has stalled the construction of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Malad creek stating environmental concerns. The proposal was initiated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and presented to the Central Government Committee in Nagpur for clearance.
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In 2018, the Bombay High Court had directed that any construction within 50 metres of mangroves should be stopped and therefore the BMC needed additional permission. The BMC stated that they had received the clearance on the project on the condition if they pay ₹11 crore for cutting down 25,000 mangroves and further compensate by growing the same number at some other place.
Notably, the Oshiwara river drains into Malad creek which had over 1000 acres of mangroves which has now been reduced to 400 acres. The Malad sewage treatment plant gives a preliminary treatment of waste before discharging it directly into the creek, and in 2017 was considered "perhaps the worst" polluting plant in the city.
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