Navi Mumbai – In a landmark environmental effort, a four-hectare stretch of buried mangroves in Vashi has been restored for the first time, thanks to the determined efforts of the forest department and environmental activists.
At Survey No. 17 in Vashi village, near the railway station, large quantities of illegally dumped debris had suffocated the mangroves. Over the past few weeks, authorities have been systematically removing truckloads of debris, allowing the natural ecosystem to regenerate.
A First in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
“This is the first instance of a mangrove burial site being actively restored in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR),” said NatConnect Foundation, an environmental group that has been campaigning alongside several NGOs to protect these vital tidal plants.
Despite the Bombay High Court’s 2018 ruling mandating mangrove protection, restoration efforts had remained absent—until now. B.N. Kumar, director of NatConnect, emphasized that while destruction of mangroves has been rampant across MMR, this marks the first significant attempt to reverse the damage.
“There are multiple locations in Uran, Ulwe, Kharghar, the Sion-Panvel Highway, and Chembur where mangroves have been destroyed. However, no dedicated efforts have been made to restore these essential coastal defenders,” said Nandakumar Pawar, head of Sagar Shakti.
Mangroves Fight Back—Naturally
Interestingly, in several locations such as Pagote, mangroves have managed to rejuvenate on their own without human intervention. In the past, debris dumped under the erstwhile NMSEZ project was gradually submerged by tidal waters, allowing the sea plants to reclaim the land.
Range Forest Officer Sudhir Manjare has invited environmentalists and citizens to visit the Vashi restoration site to witness the transformation firsthand.
A Vision for the Future: Mangrove Walkway & Awareness Park
Recognizing the opportunity to turn this site into an educational and eco-tourism hub, NatConnect has proposed a Mangrove Walkway before new plants take root.
“This space could serve as a mangrove awareness trail, educating people on their importance as carbon sinks, breeding grounds for marine life, and natural pollution filters,” said Kumar.
Meanwhile, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has been considering a Mangrove Park, which activists suggest could be developed in Vashi rather than disturbing existing thick mangrove patches in the Ghansoli-Airoli belt.
Lessons from Gorai-Dahisar
Kumar highlighted the challenges faced while constructing the Gorai-Dahisar mangrove trail, where extreme caution was required to avoid harming existing tidal plants. By contrast, developing a mangrove park in Vashi before new growth begins would make construction smoother and more sustainable.
With this historic restoration effort setting a positive precedent, environmentalists hope it will spur similar projects across MMR—ensuring Mumbai’s “green shields” are preserved for generations to come.
