Map mangroves, incorporate them into development plan: Experts

MUMBAI: Mangroves must be mapped, and the maps must be shared with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and incorporated into the new development plan (DP), activists said here on Sunday.

P K Das, civic activist, architect and town planner, said 16.5% of Mumbai's land constituted mangroves. But like all natural resources, such as forests, lakes, rivers, nullahs and creeks, they do not find mention in Mumbai's DP. Das, who has campaigned for architecture and planning to be an essential part of the city's development model, has mapped the city's open spaces. The Times of India had supported the Open Spaces campaign last year and run a series on the urgent need for protecting the city's open spaces.

"Since natural resources are not clearly marked and defined in the DP, civic officials see no reason to protect them and not permit construction in these zones. If we are to protect our natural assets, we must first recognise them and mark them out in the DP. This is the right time to do it as the BMC is preparing the plan,'' he said.

The census has shown a fall in island city population and a declining growth trend in the suburbs. Das said the past decade has seen an increase in developed land and the redevelopment engine allows for availing a higher 0.33 FSI across Mumbai. In such a scenario, growth can be easily accommodated within current development limits, and "there is no need to eat into mangrove land".

Das said the forest department and the BMC must coordinate and share data, including maps that show how mangroves are spread across the city's coast.

D Stalin, director of the Vanshakti NGO, said Mumbaikars could ill-afford to ignore value of these potential water resources and natural barriers. "The coastal regulation zone (CRZ) notification and wetland rules 2010 must be implemented in letter and spirit,'' he said.