Ecological damage caused by project will increase flood risks
The proposed Mumbai Metro car shed 3 project will have long-term impacts on the ecology of Aarey forest in Mumbai, environmentalists highlighted citing a 2019 report. The damages will increase flood-risks in the area, according to the report.
Social media erupted in debate over Aarey forest ever since the new Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government ordered June 30, 2022 to move the contentious project back into the eco-sensitive zone.
The study led by Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRIVA) reflects qualitative-spatial analysis to highlight the impacts of previous and future land use and cover on Aarey terrain in terms of watershed and ecosystems.
Changing land use has caused Aarey forest to shrink to 800 hectares from 1,300 ha over the past few decades, said Shweta Wagh, associate professor at KRVIA and urban conservator. “Originally declared as No Development Zone, the land is supposed to remain a ‘Green Zone’.”
But the new plan has proposed a zoo, resettlement housing and other infrastructure projects in this green zone with permissions from the environment ministry, she added.
Such moves open doors to unanticipated development in future, the expert said, adding:
The area proposed for the metro car shed, rehabilitation housing and zoo is the last section of forest that connects it with the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It acts as a wildlife corridor for animal movement.
But building the infrastructure will disconnect it entirely from the national park and eventually threaten the ecological landscape.
The location of the new projects is in the catchment area of Mithi river and will disrupt the hydrological process as well as drainage patterns in the region. This will cause displacement of tribals, affecting their livelihoods, affect wildlife habitats and reducing forest cover in future due to the ecological disturbances, fear experts.
Aarey functions as a source of origin for two major rivers, Mithi and Oshiwara, according to the report.
“Anthropological interventions in the catchment area of Mithi river, where the streams feeding the river originate, will exacerbate the risks of urban floods with increase in surface run-off and stormwater flow, said Hussain Indorewala, urban researcher and associate professor of humanities at KRVIA.
Referring the Pranab Sen Committee report that highlights the concerns of effect on geological and hydrological features due to human interventions, he said:
Even a relatively minor disturbance near the origin of the river can result in major repercussions and increase the rate of erosion in the mountains, changing characteristics of hydrologic regimes, silt accumulation rates and flooding water in lowlands and result in ecological damage to the surrounding areas.
The report mentions that Aarey forest acts as a buffer for the national park and thus, any damage to the forest area will directly and indirectly impact the national park. The city’s river systems and catchment area will be directly exposed to national park, making it vulnerable.
Aarey was notified as an Ecologically Sensitive Zone in 2016, with an aim to protect the national park from ecological perspective. But environmentalists fear that permits to infrastructure development under the title “residential needs of local residents” including “eco-tourism facilities” make it ambiguous and will open ways for further carving out of the forest.
Biologist Anand Pendharkar said that the region has plenty of biodiversity that remains undiscovered. “In the first week of July itself, we have documented new species of fungi and insects. A destruction on a massive scale would lead to loss of biodiversity even before its discovered.”
Change in land-use without careful assessment should be avoided and if any projects are undertaken, they should cause least disturbance to the forest cover, its hydrological system, wildlife movement and tribals, he told DTE.
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