MUMBAI: Mumbai’s proposed desalination plant is facing growing opposition from environmental groups and coastal fishing communities, with objections being raised against the proposed felling of 971 trees as well as the project’s potential impact on marine ecology and traditional fishing livelihoods.
It questioned whether the project had been duly incorporated into and examined under Mumbai’s Development Plan 2034, and whether the necessary land-use and planning permissions had been secured before allowing the trees to be felled. It also demanded to know whether alternative sites and designs had been examined to minimise tree loss, pointing out that the loss of 971 trees would have a significant ecological impact and further reduce the city’s already shrinking green cover.
In its representation, the Foundation said that while augmenting Mumbai’s water supply was important, it should not come at the cost of large-scale destruction of the city’s green cover.
The opposition to the desalination project comes against the backdrop of concerns about large-scale tree-chopping for other infrastructure projects in Mumbai. The BMC has issued a public notice under the Tree Act, informing citizens of a proposal to cut/ transplant 1,039 trees for works related to the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road from the Western Express Highway in Goregaon to the Airoli toll plaza in Mulund, as well as improvements to the Eastern Express Highway-Goregaon-Mulund Link Road junction in S and T wards, covering Bhandup and Mulund.
On October 19, more than 800 fishermen and villagers staged a protest outside the Mumbai suburban district collector’s office in Bandra, demanding cancellation of the project and an immediate halt to construction. A delegation led by Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap met Collector Saurabh Katiyar and sought a review of the approvals granted, a formal hearing on their objections and a stay on construction. The protesters also questioned the absence of a No Objection Certificate from the fisheries department.
