A month after raising a complaint on the Mangrove Suraksha App, authorities cleared the debris dumped alongside the Mangroves and also barricaded the area.
The residents and activists have been complaining about the illegal dumping of the debris for a long time with no action taken.
“Initially there was only a small pathway to go inside the mangrove, which eventually widened enough for the trucks to enter. The illegal dumping used to happen only at night hence no one ever saw it happening. After we raised the complaint, it took around a month for the mangrove cell authorities to take cognizance as well,” Sunil Agarwal, an environment activist from Navi Mumbai said.
NMMC to erect iron barriers to prevent vehicle access
To avoid this illegal dumping of debris, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has now decided to erect iron barriers to prevent vehicle access. The dumping was rampant at the West of Palm Beach Road, which is also a Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) consisting of a creek, mangroves and water bodies popular. These water bodies are popular due to the regular visit of the migratory flamingos and the dumping threatened the region’s biodiversity.
“After clearing of the debris, we are now also making a permanent solution for the problem by barricading the area and keeping space only for a two-wheeler to go as there is a temple in the area,” an official from NMMC said.
NMMC, last month had installed a solar light as well in the area which was removed after the activists complained. “As per the rule, no lights are allowed in mangrove area. The temple in the area is not visited in the night hours so there wasn’t any need for the light. After we pointed out the same to the corporation, they removed the light within a day,” Agarwal added.
