Mumbai’s infrastructure and redevelopment projects could result in the cutting or relocation of 1,311 trees, while authorities have proposed planting 20,119 trees as compensation, according to a Mumbai news report. The proposals involve railway expansion, building redevelopment and new civic infrastructure.
Of the 1,311 affected trees, 610 are proposed to be cut down, while 701 may be removed from their current locations, with some potentially being replanted. Although the proposed compensatory plantation is more than 15 times the number of affected trees, questions remain over plantation locations and the agencies responsible for their long-term upkeep.
One proposal concerns the BMC’s KEM Hospital campus, where an existing structure is planned to be replaced by a municipal employee building. The project is expected to affect 50 trees, including 28 marked for cutting and 22 for relocation or replanting. As compensation, 1,110 trees are to be planted through the Health Infrastructure Centre, with the Maharashtra Forest Development Corporation expected to undertake the plantation. The report does not specify the final plantation site.
Another major proposal relates to the BMC’s Bhandup Complex, where a 2,000-million-litre clear-water pumping station is planned. The project could affect 334 trees, of which 184 are proposed to be cut and 150 removed from their present locations. Compensatory plantation for this project is planned at Ambha village in the Badlapur forest range of Thane division, where 4,720 trees are expected to be planted.
Other affected trees are associated with Central Railway expansion and redevelopment projects across Mumbai. While plantation areas have reportedly been identified, details concerning specific sites, timelines and maintenance remain unclear in some cases.
Mumbai’s Tree Authority and BMC’s environmental administration will play a key role in deciding permissions for tree cutting or relocation and monitoring compensatory plantations.
The proposals have also raised broader concerns about whether replacement plantations can match the ecological value of mature urban trees. Their survival, maintenance and proximity to affected neighbourhoods will remain important factors as the projects move ahead.
Source: Urban Acres
