Toxic debris dumped at Thane's Balkum mangroves; Mumbai's Lokhandwala mangroves burnt by land sharks

NAVI MUMBAI: Green activists have shown deep concern about alarming mangrove destructions at two sites in Thane and Mumbai recently.
Environmentalist of Vanashakti NGO group, D Stalin, has written to various state authorities, including the mangrove cell about the dumping of debris and also toxic hazardous waste at the mangroves at Thane's Balkum area, which is destroying the mangroves in this CRZ site.
On the other hand, the Andheri-Lokhandwala and Oshiwara-Versova Residents Organization has sent out urgent online posts, including on X (Twitter), about the burning of mangroves at the backroad Lokhandwala complex, next to the Bridge over Mogra Nullah. The nature lovers have also urged the state authorities to take action and save the surviving mangroves here.
"We have already filed cases for about 14 sites in Thane that fall in CRZ and are subject to massive dumping of waste and debris. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also passed orders in those cases. However there has been no let up in the unchecked illegal dumping on CRZ lands, in mangrove areas. The new CRZ/mangrove site which is the subject matter of this complaint is located at Balkum in Thane district,'' said Stalin.
Adding that hazardous waste is also being dumped here, Stalin said: "It is urgent to restore the lands to the creek level. The survey numbers are 151, survey number 154 and survey number 145 at Balkum.''
The additional principal chief conservator of forests (mangrove cell), S V Ramarao, commented: "I am currently not aware about the complaint of Balkum mangroves destruction. I have not seen the online post about the destruction of mangroves at Lokhandwala. I will look into these issues once the activists directly send me their grievances.''
Meanwhile, another green activist Reji Abraham of United Association for Social, Educational and Public Welfare Trust, said: ``Mangroves are being destroyed on a very large scale at Lokhandwala, Thane and also other parts of suburban Mumbai coastal sites.
The land sharks are illegally trying to occupy the flattened mangroves because of the high value real estate worth crores. Tough measures must be taken by the govt to protect all mangroves and respect the earlier high court judgement on mangrove conservation.''