Mumbai's Environmental Crisis: Activists Urge Political Action

Activists in Mumbai are alarmed by the city's environmental neglect as political parties show little concern for critical issues like air and sea pollution, vanishing wetlands, and flooding. Despite plans for a Climate Action Plan, efforts remain stalled, raising risks for public health and city infrastructure.

Environmental activists have raised issues over the indifference of political parties in addressing Mumbai's pressing environmental concerns ahead of Maharashtra's assembly elections. These groups warn of dire consequences, emphasizing problems such as unusual rainfall, flooding, and air and sea pollution threatening the metropolitan region.

NatConnect director B N Kumar pointed out the shrinking open spaces, with erstwhile textile mill lands turning into concrete jungles devoid of tree plantations. Similarly, Nandakumar Pawar of Sagar Shakti highlighted the burial of inter-tidal wetlands, causing floods in certain areas due to diverted water courses.

The Shiv Sena-UBT is currently the only political entity promising to revisit the Climate Action Plan shelved by the previous government. Advocates stress that unchecked construction and traffic growth continue to worsen air quality, posing significant health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.

(With inputs from agencies.)