Over two acres of mangroves to be cleared for world’s fourth-longest pedestrian bridge

A little over two acres of mangroves are proposed to be cleared from the banks of the Mithi River for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) proposed pedestrian bridge connecting Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Mahim Nature Park

Mumbai A little over two acres of mangroves are proposed to be cleared from the banks of the Mithi River for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) proposed pedestrian bridge connecting Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Mahim Nature Park. The bridge will significantly reduce travel time between BKC and Sion and will have the capacity to accommodate around 1,000 commuters at any given time, as per details submitted to the forest department for their clearance.

The bridge will significantly reduce travel time between BKC and Sion and will have the capacity to accommodate around 1,000 commuters at any given time, as per details submitted to the forest department for their clearance (Hindustan Times)

With a proposed length of 506 metres, this bridge will be the world’s fourth-longest suspension bridge meant exclusively for pedestrians. The longest such pedestrian structure, the Sky Bridge in the Czech Republic, measures 721 metres across, followed by the 567 metre-long Baglung Parbat Footbridge that crosses the Kali Gandaki River in Nepal, and then the Arouca Bridge in Portugal which measures 516 metres.

To attract tourists, the six-story high suspension bridge will also feature a restaurant and viewing deck that offers a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the mangroves around Mithi River and of Mahim Nature Park, which is spread across an area of 37 acres and is home to more than 130 species of birds, 80 types of butterflies, 32 varieties of reptiles and 12 types of spiders.

The total cost of the project currently stands at ₹116 crore, which is more than the ₹77.05 crore allotment initially made for the project in March last year, when the MMRDA floated tenders for the project’s implementation. The bridge will also facilitate the movement of pedestrian traffic towards the Metro-2B stations in BKC and Sion, said an engineer with the MMRDA’s transport and communication department who is involved with the project.

To justify the project, the MMRDA last year carried out a preference survey of residents living around BKC and Mahim Nature Park. In a note to the forest department, the MMRDA submitted, “Survey has been conducted for more than 100 samples who are a majority of residents near BKC and Mahim Nature Park. A majority of commuters travel daily from BKC to Sion station and vice versa through existing roads, in which almost 70% of people are travelling through auto or private vehicles. Only 25% of people are preferring local bus or the local train. Out of all samples, 89% are interested to use the upcoming pedestrian suspension bridge as their daily commuting route.”

Environmentalists expressed alarm at removing mangroves from the flood-prone Mithi’s banks. Stalin D, director of NGO Vanashakti, which has been campaigning for better protection of mangroves in the state, said, “Perforation of mangroves will lead to more flooding in the area. It is ironic that a project that is being built to offer citizens a view of mangroves also involves their diversion. Two acres may seem a small number, but in an ecology that is already under immense pressure such developments cannot be taken lightly.”