Activists infuriated as NMMC draft development plan ‘lacks’ green focus
The draft development plan by Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has been criticised for the absence of concrete plans for environmental aspects such as rainwater harvesting, green energy, tree cover and wetland protection. The NatConnect Foundation said the plan failed to address the impact of the ongoing redevelopment of housing colonies, which will lead to 20-plus storey buildings and put pressure on water, sewerage, power and traffic. Despite having 232 gardens and 91 playgrounds, the city only has three square metres of open space per person, compared to WHO and AMRUT norms of nine to 10 sq m.
NAVI MUMBAI: With no mention of rainwater harvesting and the absence of concrete plans for green energy, tree cover and protection of wetlands, the draft development plan (DP) floated by Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) recently infuriated activists who pointed out that there’s lack of focus on environmental aspects.
The draft DP also fails to take note of the pressure arising out of the ongoing massive redevelopment of housing colonies, NatConnect Foundation in its objections presented to NMMC on Tuesday.
Despite 232 gardens and 91 playgrounds, the open space works out to 3 sqm per head, which is horribly lower than the norms set by the WHO and even AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation), which envisage 9 to 10 sq meter per person, said NatConnect Foundation in its objections presented to NMMC.
The main issue with NMMC is that it does not own an inch of land as CIDCO rules the roost having control over all lands and open plots, NatConnect said and appealed to the municipal corporation to assert itself as the self-government body and fight for the open spaces.
The redevelopment will lead to the construction of buildings with 20-plus floors, as compared to the existing double-storeyed structures. This will put tremendous pressure on water, sewerage, power and traffic, NatConnect director BN Kumar said.
The roads in nodes such as Vashi will not be able to bear the load and soon the planned city will appear like the congested areas such as Parel and Andheri, Kumar warned.
For instance, sectors 9 and 10 of Vashi have the same old roads that cannot be widened; there is hardly any scope for elevated roads or flyovers. It is difficult to cross the roads or walk on the pavements and the situation will just be unimaginable after three or four years, Kumar said.
As it is, the city bears the brunt of water cuts, despite NMMC owning a dam at Morbe, and the situation will go out of control in less than five years, he said and called for making additional arrangements for drinking water supply.
“We could not find any mention of rainwater harvesting in the DP which is a sad commentary on the so-called city of the 21st Century,” he said. The city receives plenty of rain and the NMMC has no plans to store even a single drop.
There must be a plan for green power as the pressure on fossil fuels must be reduced as per India’s commitment at COP26 and on other international forums. Swachh Bharat is not merely about cleaning the streets and roads, it is about a clean environment, said Vishnu Joshi of Parsik Greens.
Pointing out that the city fared very badly in terms of the air quality index, the environmentalists regretted that the DP does not talk of any plans to check rising air pollution or improve on the carbon sinks, namely the green cover, activist Sahana Dandin said.
Though Navi Mumbai is touted as Flamingo City, the city will have to remain happy with the paintings and statues of the pink birds if the wetlands continue to be under attack. The three major wetlands - DPS Lake, NRI and TS Chanakya – must be protected and conserved at any cost. We are happy that on our suggestion, NMMC has written to CIDCO in this regard, but this is not enough. NMMC must take over these wetlands and conserve them with the help of the State Mangrove Foundation which is also very keen to preserve the water bodies as part of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary’s satellite wetland protection plan, NatConnect said in its submission.