BMC begins to map mangroves and buffer zone

For this purpose, BMC is writing to the forest department requesting maps with markings of mangroves, so that they can be superimposed on the Mumbai’s DP sheets.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun to map mangroves and a 50 metre buffer zone around them in the Development Plan’s (DP, 2034) sheets, following the state government’s notification of November 2018, directing all coastal cities to do so in their respective DPs.

HT had reported in November 2018 of the state government resolution directing all DPs of coastal cities to map mangroves separately. (Ht Photo)

For this purpose, BMC is writing to the forest department requesting maps with markings of mangroves, so that they can be superimposed on the Mumbai’s DP sheets.

A senior civic officer from the DP department said, “BMC has requested the forest department to send sheets of these mangrove maps with a scale of 1:4,000 so that it can be superimposed on the DP. The existing mangrove maps submitted to BMC are of the scale 1:25,000, which will be difficult for us to copy.” The civic body’s DP sheets are in the ratio of 1:4000.

HT had reported in November 2018 of the state government resolution directing all DPs of coastal cities to map mangroves separately. By then, BMC had already completed working on DP sheets from the eastern and western suburbs, and was working on sheets for the island city.

Mumbai’s DP 2034 does not have a separate marking of the mangroves around Mumbai. This area at present falls in the natural area, or NA, marked on the DP.

No development is allowed in NAs.