‘JNPT destroyed 7K mangrove trees for port expansion’

Close to 7,000 mangrove trees were found dried up and destroyed across two locations in Uran, Navi Mumbai, being developed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) for its 4th Container terminal project, the Raigad district administration said.

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A site inspection was carried out by the circle officer and his team (revenue department) with representative from JNPT on Thursday to check whether any mangroves were destroyed outside the permitted 19.5 hectare (ha) mangrove zone for its 200-ha container terminal project. The circle officer said the inspection was undertaken following a story published by Hindustan Times on December 26 that highlighted complaints filed by local environmental groups NatConnect and Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP) on largescale mangrove destruction at the port’s container terminal area.

Mangrove trees were found dried up at a six-ha patch (with approximately 5,500 trees) at a plot where railway tracks were being placed across a one-kilometre stretch, and a 1.2 ha patch (approximately 1,500 trees) witnessed a similar violation at a site where a jetty has been built towards Nhava, said circle officer (revenue department) Sandeep Bhandare, who led the inspection.

“Both locations fall outside the 19.5 ha mangrove area allowed to be destroyed for the project by the Centre and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). While the JNPT representative claimed that both locations fell outside their jurisdiction, we have held JNPT responsible for the mangrove destruction as they are the land owners,” said Bhandare. “In both areas we found tide water had been blocked by debris dumping and only minimal polluted water was reaching the trees. Some of the trees were uprooted while others were completely dry.” A report has been prepared highlighting the scale of violations and will be submitted to the sub-divisional officer for further action, added Bhandare.

This is the third such violation in the same area over the past year. In November 2019, contractors appointed by JNPT paid a fine of Rs. 1 lakh for destroying 4,550 mangrove trees across 4.5 ha, and another 4,500 mangrove trees were destroyed for the expansion of major road leading up to the terminal. Satish Navale, sub-divisional officer, Raigad had filed a case against JNPT in a local district court following these violations.

JNPT chief manager, SV Madbhavi said, “We need to verify these findings. We have only removed 16.5 ha of 19.5 ha, and of the mangroves removed, compensatory afforestation has been completed by the forest department funded by us. Secondly, areas where 4,550 mangrove trees were lost have been rejuvenated with 5-foot high mangroves currently there. No other violation has been reported under areas within our jurisdiction.”

The port trust had obtained environmental clearance (EC) from the Centre in 2008 to reclaim 200ha to build storage yards, internal roads, railway containers, depots, parking areas, office buildings, etc. In phase 1 of the marine chemical terminal project work across 110ha in the first phase destroyed 19.5-ha mangrove areas. JNPT obtained EC from MCZMA earlier in 2019 for the second phase.

Environmentalists said they were worried that more such violations will be exposed during reclamation of the remaining 90-ha. “Massacre of mangroves will drown villages and destroy remaining source of income for local fishing community,” said Nandkumar Pawar, head, SEAP.

“Series of oil tankers, parked on the railway track in this terminal, are regularly washed and the water is discharged into the mangrove zone. This is also choking the plants,” said BN Kumar, director, NatConnect.