Coastal road project: BMC applies for wildlife clearance to translocate of 18 coral colonies along south Mumbai coast

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has approached the Maharashtra forest department for wildlife clearance to translocate 18 coral colonies at Worli and

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has approached the Maharashtra forest department for wildlife clearance to translocate 18 coral colonies at Worli and Haji Ali, for further reclamation for the coastal road project.

HT Image

Since March, BMC has reclaimed over 53 hectare of sea along south Mumbai, for the 9.9-km coastal road, which is to be an eight-lane highway connecting Princess Street flyover to the southern tip of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. BMC had told the Supreme Court (SC) in July that they would commence reclamation only after garnering wildlife clearance.

According to the civic body’s proposal, accessed by HT, they plan to reclaim areas with coral presence by October, after receiving clearance. The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, had been appointed to assess the marine biodiversity along the project area. NIO had submitted a report in September 2019 identifying six coral species along south Mumbai. Two species of the Rhizangiidae family (Oulangia and one unidentified species) with 18 colonies documented across 0.251 square metre (almost 3ft) in Worli region of the project site, and another species (Dendrophylliidae family) along with Rhizangiidae across 1.1ft area at Haji Ali.

Corals are marine invertebrates that attach themselves to rocky intertidal regions. They garner the same protection as a tiger or elephant under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972. Permissions are required from the principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF-wildlife) before any translocation of the species.

The proposal, dated September 3, was submitted to the state mangrove cell earlier this week, and will be vetted by mangrove cell officials, and finally the PCCF-wildlife before granting final clearance. However, the cell has already called for clarifications from the civic body on the proposal. “We have asked for a map of the location where the corals are present and to elaborate on the project details, to verify whether any areas with coral presence have been missed out,” said DR Patil, divisional forest officer (mangrove cell).

On June 10, 2019, HT had reported the presence of 11 coral species along the coastal road route by the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra.

Shaunak Modi, director, Coastal Conservation Foundation, who has documented corals along Mumbai’s shoreline, said that against NIO’s claim of only a few square feet of corals, surveys over the past three years had shown a much larger area of coral colonies across the city’s western seaboard. “Since these corals are small and the colonies are scattered, it may be difficult to find all of them in just a few surveys,” he said.

WHAT THE BOMBAY HIGH COURT HAD SAID ABOUT CORALS

On December 17, 2019, the SC had put on hold previous orders by the Bombay high court (from July 2019) that quashed coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearances to the civic body, and allowed reclamation of land but restricted BMC from carrying out any other development work. The HC’s order from July 16, 2019, while staying the project had said, “Notwithstanding the fact that corals presence is minuscule, the same shows that the ecosystem in the area (project zone) is conducive to corals. It establishes that the area is ecologically sensitive...we hold that BMC could not have commenced work without obtaining Wildlife Protection Act permission.”