Recently, the Supreme Court had criticised the Maharashtra government over the poor survival rate of trees planted as part of the compensatory afforestation drive.
The waterlogged patch at Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon East. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav
Around 284 fully grown trees near the Metro Line 3 car depot in Aarey Milk Colony are under threat after water from a nearby stream was allegedly blocked, leading to severe waterlogging around the plantation area.
Environmentalists have warned that the stagnant water could kill hundreds of trees, many of which were part of the compensatory afforestation done to replace those felled for Metro projects in Aarey.
Recently, the Supreme Court had criticised the Maharashtra government over the poor survival rate of trees planted as part of the compensatory afforestation drive.
In an email complaint to the superintendent of gardens, the municipal commissioner, and the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), an environmentalist had highlighted that the land has a natural drain that once allowed water from upstream hilly areas to flow into the Mithi river.
Authorities need to clear this drain so that the natural flow of water can be restored. An expert, visionary look at this will help, as this blockage needs to be cleared like we said, but most importantly, it has to stay that way. Tackle this by the roots, find out why this blockage happened and ensure that this does not recur.
It is vital that afforestation succeeds. There is justifiable cynicism and scepticism about these afforestation efforts, where trees do not survive. So many trees felled for different projects are replanted, or some kind of compensatory afforestation is ordered.
This is specious if we do not create conditions for survival. The environment has to be conducive to allow this afforestation to thrive. Now that environmentalists have flagged this, a check and remedial action must be quick if we need these trees to live.
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