‘Coastal road reclamation may harm coral patch at Haji Ali’

Marine experts have raised an alarm about the ongoing reclamation activity along the south Mumbai coastline for the coastal road project. Less than 400 metres from

Marine experts have raised an alarm about the ongoing reclamation activity along the south Mumbai coastline for the coastal road project. Less than 400 metres from the work site near Haji Ali dargah is a 10-metre patch of false pillow corals. Corals are a schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972 and could suffer damage if they aren’t translocated from the area.

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On Wednesday, reclamation work using an excavator machine was being carried out at one end of the path leading to Haji Ali dargah. Co-founder of Coastal Conservation Foundation, Shaunak Modi said the corals are located to the left of this path while work is being done on the right side. “This is the largest patch of reef-building false pillow corals (Pseudosiderastrea tayamai) we have found along the Mumbai shoreline. The only other location where we have found these corals is in Cuffe Parade, but that is a very small patch,” said Modi.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said all coral patches fell outside proposed reclamation zones. “We are aware of the presence of coral patches at two locations in Haji Ali. Both these areas are beyond our proposed reclamation zones and will not be touched,” said Vijay Nighot, chief engineer, BMC’s coastal road project.

Last year, the Bombay high court (HC) had appointed a committee and directed BMC to obtain permissions under the WPA, before commencing work on the coastal road project, owing to the presence of corals. “The committee recently submitted a proposal to our divisional forest office (mangrove cell),” said Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forest (mangrove cell). “It is yet to be cleared by my office, the chief wildlife warden, and then the state. Thus, until such time that the proposal is cleared, any reclamation of corals is a violation under WPA.”

The current 9.9-km phase of the coastal road project, proposed at Rs 12,969 crore, will connect Marine Drive to the southern end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. HT had reported last year that eight species of corals are under threat from the proposed construction, according to environment group Vanashakti.