Mangrove cell to move Bombay HC for removal of excess mangroves in Thane Creek

Officials in the state forest department’s mangrove cell are currently drafting a writ petition, to be submitted to the Bombay high court (HC) in the next week or so, seeking permission for removal of excess mangrove trees in Thane Creek within the boundary of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS)

Officials in the state forest department’s mangrove cell are currently drafting a writ petition, to be submitted to the Bombay high court (HC) in the next week or so, seeking permission for removal of excess mangrove trees in Thane Creek within the boundary of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS).

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Though officials did not specify the exact area affected by new mangrove growth or the number of trees that need removal, they said that only those mangroves that have come up after 2015 — when TCFS was declared a protected area under the Indian Wildlife Act — will be removed.

There are at least 12 different species of mangroves and mangrove associates found in the Thane Creek, but most of the “excess” growth is that of one dominant species — Avicenna marina — which could pose a threat to the overall biodiversity. However, the removed saplings will be replanted elsewhere after being sent to a nursery.

“Removal of the excess mangroves is necessary to ensure that there is room enough for flamingos and other wader birds within the sanctuary. Monitoring and management of mangroves is also a tenet under the management plan that we have prepared for TCFS. We have yet to work out the area affected, but if the court asks then of course it will be provided. The petition should be filed soon,” said Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forest (mangrove cell).

Stalin D, director of NGO Vanashakti, said such a step is imperative. “The overgrowth should be removed at the earliest. It has taken a lot of effort to get the sanctuary declared in the first place, and if we want to the keep the environment conducive for flamingos and other wader birds, we need to manage it effectively. Growth of excess mangroves also impacts fishermen and the navigability of the channel.”

According to a 2005 HC order issued in response to a petition filed by the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) in 2004, all construction and removal of mangrove areas require permission from HC directly, and multiple user agencies (including MMRDA, maritime board, fisheries department, among others) have from time to time filed writ petitions to execute various projects.

However, Debi Goenka, former member of BEAG, and second appellant in the 2004 petition leading to HC’s orders, disagreed with these developments. “The Mangrove Foundation was set up to protect mangroves. Surely, the priority should be to stop the flow of silt and desilting, and not cutting mangroves that have grown on the mud flats. Indiscriminate quarrying in Navi Mumbai and construction activities in the catchment area of Thane creek are the real issues, as are the constantly expanding waste dumps in Bhandup, Deonar and Kanjurmarg. It may also behoove the mangrove foundation to examine how the tidal flows into Thane creek have been impacted by construction activities, which could help plan better management steps than simply removing mangroves which in turn support their own ecosystems.”