The Conservation Action Trust (CAT) has recently raised serious concerns over the ongoing degradation of Mumbai’s coastal habitats, particularly mangrove ecosystems, due to persistent failures in the implementation of the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). Despite the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification having been in effect for over three decades, the absence of accurate and comprehensive CZMPs has led to large-scale encroachments and destruction of critical coastal areas across Mumbai and its surrounding metropolitan region.
The report, released by prominent environmentalists, including Justice Gautam Patel (retired, Bombay High Court), sheds light on significant flaws in the coastal regulatory framework, particularly the inaccuracies in mapping which have inadvertently facilitated illegal and unsanctioned developments. Notably, areas such as Dahisar, Goregaon, Charkop, Mahul, Mankhurd, Bandra, and Nerul have witnessed rapid urban encroachment, compromising the integrity of the region’s fragile coastal ecosystems. One of the most concerning examples highlighted in the report is the misclassification of around 700 hectares in Uttan, Dahisar as an intertidal zone. This apparent error has been exploited by developers to push for a shift in the area’s designation from a natural zone to a recreation and tourism development zone, as outlined in the Draft DP 2034. Such changes, if implemented, could lead to irreversible harm to the coastal environment, which serves as a critical buffer against floods and other environmental hazards.
Further adding to the environmental distress is the disturbing case of Pahadi, Goregaon, where over 500 acres of dense mangrove forests have been cleared since 1996, despite their classification as Deemed Forests under state regulations. The report accuses authorities of deliberately omitting the presence of mangroves while seeking environmental clearances, thus undermining the very purpose of the CRZ guidelines. Even though the Ministry of Environment and Forests suspended the environmental clearance for development in this area in 2013, the land continues to be repurposed for major infrastructure projects, including the Maharashtra National Law University and National Judicial Academy.
The situation at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) further underscores the flawed coastal management approach. Satellite imagery from 2000 and 2020 shows an alarming rise in land reclamation in the region, including the infilling of crucial creek areas, which exacerbates the vulnerability of the locality to flooding. This persistent disregard for accurate CZMPs has led to the erosion of Mumbai’s coastal defences, leaving mangroves and intertidal zones vulnerable to unchecked development. Debi Goenka, trustee at CAT, noted that the government has prepared three successive CZMPs over the past 33 years, none of which have been effective or complete. The failure to map these zones accurately has allowed for rampant exploitation of coastal land, all while the city’s flood resilience and ecological health deteriorate.
Mumbai’s coastal zones, essential for maintaining ecological balance, have been left unprotected due to regulatory inefficiencies. The Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines were designed to safeguard such fragile ecosystems, but their inadequate implementation has rendered them ineffective in countering the pressures of urban expansion. Unless immediate steps are taken to rectify the inaccuracies in the CZMPs and enforce stricter regulations, the city’s coastal habitats could face further destruction.
