Mumbai fisherman releases endangered turtle found near coastal road site back to sea

A hawksbill sea turtle – a protected species under the Indian Wildlife Act (1972) – was rescued and released back to the sea by a fisherman from Worli Koliwada on Tuesday around 8pm, just off the Mumbai coastal road construction site

A hawksbill sea turtle – a protected species under the Indian Wildlife Act (1972) – was rescued and released back to the sea by a fisherman from Worli Koliwada on Tuesday around 8pm, just off the Mumbai coastal road construction site. The incident sparked critical reactions from conservationists, who said that the controversial infrastructure project has so far ignored the presence of such biodiversity in the region.

Shaunak Modi, a Mumbai-based marine biologist and director of the Coastal Conservation Foundation, pointed out that the exact location of the turtle was less than 200 metres away from the site of the coastal road reclamation. (Nitesh Patil)

The fisherman, Nitesh Patil, who is the director of the Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Vyavsay Sahakari Society, found the turtle close to Bandra-Worli Sea Link, where work on the Coastal Road-Sea Link interchange is due to commence this month. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently began preparing the construction of this segment of the controversial infra project, prompting nearly 200 boats from across the Worli fishing zone to gherao a temporary jetty at the coastal road construction site on October 14.

“This further confirms the presence of marine life along the coastal road project. This is not the first time that we have seen the presence of protected marine life in the area. Dolphins are also frequently seen by the fisherfolk who take their boats out there,” Patil told HT.

Shaunak Modi, a city-based marine biologist and director of the Coastal Conservation Foundation, pointed out that the exact location of the turtle was less than 200 metres away from the site of the coastal road reclamation.

“The presence of turtles, dolphins, corals and other rich biodiversity that are found in the inter-tidal zone has been completely overlooked by the coastal road’s environment impact assessment report. A more rigorous, honest assessment is required,” he said.

An official with the state forest department’s mangrove cell, which is tasked with conservation of marine life and implementation of mitigation measures to protect biodiversity in relation to the project, said, “We have already received about ₹150 crore from BMC to be used for biodiversity conservation. The money is kept in a fixed deposit as per the organisation’s mandate, and specific measures to conserve biodiversity will be implemented to protect such species.”