Signboards proclaiming ‘Mumbai Upgrading’ have become a ubiquitous sight at construction sites across the city and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), heralding the ambitious drive of India’s financial capital towards world-class infrastructure.
For the city’s fisherfolk though, this development comes at a cost. Hitesh Koli, a 35-year-old fisherman from Gavhan village in Ulwe taluka, Navi Mumbai, 35 km from Mumbai, laments, “We, the Kolis, are the original inhabitants of this region, yet no development project so far has prioritised our well-being.” Concerns over dwindling fishing spots and destruction of mangroves to pave the way for infrastructure projects have ignited anger among members of his community.
Before the establishment of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) 40 years ago, Koliwadas (fishing communities) in Gavhan (9,000 residents), Hanuman (4,500), Uran (6,000), Belpada (4,000), and Sewa (5,000) could fish within a 4-km radius of Gavhan, Uran, or Nhava Sheva creek. Now, they must travel 27 km to Thane creek. “JNPT initially destroyed mangroves and marine life, then came projects like the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) and the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). MTHL alone destroyed lakhs of mangroves, decimating marine life. Over the years, we’ve lost 90% of our fishing spots due to such projects,” Hitesh says.
Generations of Kolis and tribal people have lived along Mumbai’s coast, relying on fishing for survival. For them, mangroves are sacred as they provide protection from natural calamities and resources for sustenance. Parvati Hadal, a 32-year-old member of the Warli tribe, an indigenous community of about 6,000 people, exemplifies this legacy, with all 12 members of her family in Madh Island engaged in fishing.
In September, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approved a ₹3,246-crore flyover connecting Madh Island and Versova and set to traverse above Madh creek. This long-awaited project — first proposed in 2015 — received environmental clearances in January this year. Hadal voices concerns about the flyover’s impact on three villages: Kisanachapada, Dongarpada, and Dharvali, whose residents rely on mangroves for their livelihood. “Mangroves are being cleared daily for the flyover’s construction. Portions of the project encroach on residential areas, threatening our homes and ancestral lands. Despite numerous letters to the BMC, our pleas have gone unheard,” she says.
Uran Koliwada’s struggle
The residents of Uran Koliwada are also bearing the brunt of development projects. On a serene afternoon in the fishing colony, Tukaram Janardhan Koli, 70, gazes contemplatively at the mangrove creek outside his home. Once pristine, the waterway now lies stagnant, reeking of chemicals and sewage. Plastic bags cling to the branches of mangroves, swaying gently in the breeze, a stark contrast to the lifeless water. Tukaram says none of the governments in Maharashtra considered bringing development to fishing communities.
Recounting the struggles of the fisherfolk, he says on February 7, 2023, the State-run City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) “falsely charged” 30 residents under Section 355 of the Indian Penal Code for expressing concerns over the construction of the Uran Bypass Road. The residents were kept in custody for 12 days, with 10 women sent to Kalyan’s Adharwadi prison and 20 men to Taloja Jail, he says.
Following advocate Mihir Desai’s intervention, the Bombay High Court ordered the release of the fisherfolk, citing concerns over their alleged manhandling. The court also pulled up the police and CIDCO over the grounds of arrest, and directed them not to file a chargesheet in the matter, although the probe could continue.
Earlier in August 2022, a Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Justices G.S. Patel and Gauri Godse, had reprimanded CIDCO over the project following a plea filed by 134 fishermen from Uran Koliwada. The Bench also criticised the government’s approach towards planning, stating that it appeared “prima facie faulty”.
The once-thriving Uran creek now reeks of decay, its waters devoid of fish and filled with debris. Feeling helpless, the Kolis took to the streets again on July 7, 2023 against the impact of such projects on their livelihoods, but their pleas continued to fall on deaf ears, Tukaram says.
‘Eco-sensitive zones under threat’
Gorai and Manori villages face similar challenges, with destruction of mangroves and wetland reclamation over the last decade threatening the environment and livelihoods of East Indian Christians, Kolis, and tribal communities. Residents, including Switsy Henriques, president of the Gorai Villagers Welfare Association, have made appeals to civic bodies and approached the police. “Razing of mangroves and filling wetlands with debris take place late at night. Several resorts and commercial spaces have sprung up in the last few years in eco-sensitive zones,” says Henriques. She alleges that amusement parks nearby have been dumping debris and garbage into the wetlands. “When we registered a police complaint, they accused us instead of engaging in such activities to extort money from them.”
Vanita Shankar Kottal, a 45-year-old fisherwoman from Chota Dongri Pada, Gorai, expresses dire concerns about the future of her tribal hamlet, where fishing is the primary source of livelihood. For seven months, civic bodies have been conducting surveys without consulting the residents, she says, and have begun constructing concrete roads towards the Gorai creek. She fears under the cover of darkness, the mangroves will be cut or the creek filled with debris. “We are living in fear. If this happens, we will lose everything.”
Fisher communities unite
Nandakumar W. Pawar, a 63-year-old environmentalist and president of the Maharashtra Small-Scale Traditional Fish Workers Union, highlights the risks posed by the NMIA. Pawar began working towards taking the concerns of environmental loss and the struggles of the fishing community to various global platforms after Bhandup, a fishing hub, began losing its fishing habitats to infrastructure projects in 2005. “The union was formed to give a voice to small-scale fishermen who are often overlooked by policymakers as they don’t fish in the ocean, but in backwaters, creeks, or water tanks,” he says.
Pawar points out that the NMIA poses a significant threat to coastal ecology due to its location in an ecologically sensitive zone. “For reclaiming marshland, natural low-lying areas here require up to 10 to 12 feet of filling material. It is estimated that about 26% of the total area (19,000 hectares) comprises ecologically sensitive zones. This project also encompasses 400 acres of mangrove land. The concern is that over a thousand acres of mudflats that are habitats for at least five lakh migratory birds will be lost forever.”
Pawar also raises concerns over the diversion of the Ulwe and Gadhi rivers and flattening of the Ulwe hill to make the NMIA site accessible. “This is nothing but an invitation to disaster by CIDCO and the government.”
He says siltation — caused by constant drilling and excavation work from coastal development projects like ports, bridges, and oil exploration — is a major threat to coastal biodiversity. This process suspends large particles, creating sludge that settles on the coast due to waves and tides, fostering unnatural mangrove growth. This impacts fishing beds and breeding and spawning grounds as mangroves cover the water and leave no place for marine organisms to breed, explains Pawar.
In 2021, a reply to a Right to Information query by environmentalists showed that JNPT had 913.6 hectares of mangroves at Nhava Sheva under its jurisdiction. Earlier this year, JNPT handed over 800 hectares to the Forest Department after Vanashakti, an NGO, filed a contempt petition against JNPT, CIDCO, Revenue and Forest Departments, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, and the District Collectors of Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg. “For 20 years, none of these agencies complied with orders. When we moved the High Court in 2022, JNPT complied,” says Stalin Dayanand, director of Vanashakti.
Around 248 hectares of mangroves had been destroyed without permission for the NMIA, revealed data submitted to the High Court in August this year by the Additional Principal Chief Conservator, Mangrove Cell. However, Chief Conservator of Forests, Mangrove Cell, S.V. Ramarao, says, “CIDCO had taken permission from the Government of India and the Forest Department for diversion of 248 hectares of forest land, of which part of it was mangrove land and the rest forest land.”
The Panje-Dongri wetlands in Uran have been a contentious issue, with Pawar and the fisherfolk fighting to save this 289-hectare ecosystem. Recognised by the Bombay Natural History Society as a highly bio-diverse coastal wetland in Maharashtra, it boasts rich traditional fishing zones and habitats for about five lakh migratory birds.
According to Pawar, CIDCO has designated the Panje-Dongri wetlands as flood mitigation areas for the upcoming Dronagiri node, spanning 2,740 hectares. It is one of 14 nodes planned in Navi Mumbai to alleviate pressure on Mumbai as part of a new town development project.
To protect and conserve these wetlands, Pawar filed a petition in the High Court in 2018. In 2021, another petition was filed in the National Green Tribunal and later a caveat was filed in the Supreme Court. On January 24 this year, the High Court ruled in favour of the petitioner and said these pristine pieces of coastal wetlands must be protected and conserved. JNPT and CIDCO officials were unavailable for comment.
Government response
In response, government officials cite an increase in mangrove cover in the State. As per the 2013 Forest Survey of India (FSI) report, there was 186 square kilometres of mangrove land in Maharashtra. Eight years later, in 2021, the count went up to 324 square kilometres, says Ramarao. “There has been a significant increase in mangrove cover. The 2023 FSI report is yet to be released.”
The Mangrove Cell has initiated conservation measures such as floating a tender in September this year for installing CCTV cameras at 195 sensitive locations across the MMR to prevent garbage dumping and encroachment, according to the Chief Conservator of Forests, Mangrove Cell.
“We’ve maintained satellite data from 2005 to 2018 and are planning to procure high-resolution satellite maps for better land analysis and to determine if a particular area is mangrove land or not. Our Mangrove Suraksha app allows citizens to lodge complaints about wrongdoings in mangrove zones and swift action will be taken based on them. We’ve also deployed 184 security personnel and established a three-tier committee at the district, division, and State levels for monitoring mangrove zones,” he says.
For addressing violations in such zones, Ramarao says, a two-pronged approach is being followed. “Violations within forest jurisdictions are addressed under the Indian Forest Act. The other violations fall under the Environment (Protection) Act and the respective District Collectors are tasked with taking action in such cases.”
However, for fishing communities in the city, the struggle for survival continues. “Who is Mumbai upgrading for?” says Hitesh in Gavhan village, seeking development that prioritises the well-being of the city’s original inhabitants.