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The Rain God held back while over one hundred citizens came out of their homes, young and old, to participate in a citizens movement on Sunday morning of 08th June, between 9:30 AM and 12 noon. Volunteers gathered in the dozens at various points along the Mangrove line from HDFC lane to Natasha Tower end of Juhu Versova Link Road, Andheri West.
They brought old cloth pieces and all worked together under the directions of SAVE Forum (http://www.saveforum.org/) to prepare a chindi fence from Versova end of the Juhu Versova Link Road to the HDFC lane. The entire stretch of mangrove land was fenced in by three strands of cloth tied to bamboo posts, brought by the citizens who are disappointed with the apathy and lethargy exhibited by the City and State Government. Even judicial orders fall by the wayside due to vast delays in implementation.
In an inspiring speech, at the end of the fence being set up, Shri Deepak Mehta, SAVE Forum promised the citizens of escalating this activity further if the 'powers that be' do not act promptly and put up a proper fence and protect the mangroves which are the first line of defense in case of monsoon storms and high tides. Later Ms. Usha Kiran talked of the work done by the Forum which has always been in the larger interest of the citizens.
The monsoon has set in today and there is excellent probability for the mangroves to recover provided the total ban on illegal dumping of rubble, filth, etc. and land reclamation is implemented all along the Versova coastline.
Here under is what the newspaper: DNA, Mumbai, Mon. 09th June 2008, page-3 has to say ...
Citizens guard city’s ‘natural buffers’ | ||
Residents of Juhu, Versova, Lokhandwala come together for the protection of mangroves | ||
Mahafreed Irani | ||
Looking for inspiration to save the environment? Then read this green story. Five hundred residents of Juhu, Lokhandwala and Versova decided to meet on a rainy Sunday morning to do their bit for Mumbai’s mangroves. Their mission was clear: “We want to stop encroachments in the Versova mangroves,” said Rajesh Vora, secretary, SAVE Forum (Save Andheri Versova Environment). Residents, who gathered on the street around 9am, came fully equipped with old pieces of saree, dupatta, and towel cloth. They tied together the bits and pieces to build a 1.5km-long fence around what they call “the city’s natural buffers”. “Yes, mangroves are the best buffers. Unlike other low-lying areas, which were flooded during the 26/7 deluge, our area was clear, thanks to the mangroves,” said Sunita Singh, a resident of the area. Singh is not the only one who knows the importance of the ‘buffer’. Several studies have revealed that areas having mangrove ecosystems were less damaged by the 2004 tsunami. Researchers believe that these trees managed to absorb almost 70-90% of the impact of the waves. Ira Bhongade, 12, is aware of this. She wants to protect the Versova mangroves too. “We need oxygen, and these trees help clean the air we breathe,” she said. Ira is the youngest member of the symbolic protest. She along with others went door-to-door giving out posters to make sure that the neighbourhood would unitedly come forward to demand for a protection wall to save the mangroves. “In March 2002, we filed a PIL to rejuvenate the mangroves. In response, the Urban Development Department of Maharashtra sanctioned Rs7.40 crore. But till date, no work has started,” said Vora. Fed up with the BMC ways, Vinny Dewan decided to join the symbolic protest too. “The authorities came and carried out researched. But when will they start building the protection wall?” she asked. The residents set up the fence as a symbol of protest, but some went back with a sense of disillusionment. They felt that BMC wasn’t taking action because it didn’t want to obstruct the setting up of a playground in the mangrove area for Versova’s Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology. “We won’t let this happen and plan to fight on till this area is declared as forest land,” said Vora. m_irani@dnaindia.net |
