Mumbai coastal road threat to 36 marine species along Worli shore, says report
29th March, 2019
A
marine biodiversity report has found the coastal road project presents
a direct threat to 36 intertidal marine species that thrive on the
Worli shoreline.
“This reclamation is unsustainable and will end
up destroying a bio reserve,” said Sarita Fernandes, from SagarShakti
who led the study.
Even though work began last month, the
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to develop the marine
biodiversity plan that it was supposed to have submitted to the Union
environment ministry before starting reclamation for the coastal road
project.
Conducted by SagarShakti, the marine research division
of the environmental group Vanashakti, with two independent marine
experts, the marine biodiversity report identifies sea snails, crabs,
oysters, corals, sponges, octopus, sea fans, snappers, mussels, shrimps
and rays – some of which are schedule 1 species under the Wildlife
Protection Act, 1972 – in the stretch between Worli Dairy and the start
of the Bandra-Worli sea link (889.24m).
Read
full story here
|
