Mumbai’s seacoast is incomplete without its treasured and colorful coral colonies. Previously, a 17-year old Mumbaikar named Siddharth Pillai even designed a 3D-printed coral reef to revive aquatic life!
As per a report in The Indian Express, the BMC sought a wildlife clearance on September 3, proposing to translocate 18 coral colonies found in the path of the Coastal Road Project. These inter-tidal corals are currently present along the coasts of Worli and Haji Ali areas.
A Twitter user shared some wonderful photographs of south Mumbai’s coral life, captioning how some “Mumbaikars have no clue what treasures” the city holds. Check it out:
If you feel these Corals deserve to be saved, do click & voice your protest https://t.co/rZ4OYMaSP7 https://t.co/oKFazGg9WI
— Zoru Bhathena (@zoru75) October 19, 2020
2/4 pic.twitter.com/ywcBEGyA8E
— Zoru Bhathena (@zoru75) October 19, 2020
3/4 pic.twitter.com/X8vbOpTO06
— Zoru Bhathena (@zoru75) October 19, 2020
4/4 pic.twitter.com/EgEEMRiALx
— Zoru Bhathena (@zoru75) October 19, 2020
While the Coastal Road Project has been facing opposition from the fishermen folk and other citizens since last year, the final clearance is in the hands of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife). If approved, the corals may be translocated to Marine Drive, Geeta Nagar in Navy Nagar, and Colaba.
The initial proposal that BMC had submitted to Mangrove Cell of the Maharashtra Forest Department was stalled as more details about the legal status of the project and site of translocation were awaited, Yahoo News reports. With the final approval, this will be the second time such a project will be implemented. Earlier, the Mangrove Cell and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) had translocated 2,620 coral fragments from Mumbai off the Malvan coast in Sindhudurg.
Let's start with my favourite.
False Pillow Coral (Pseudosiderastrea tayamai) with the Haji Ali dargah in the background.
Protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and classified as Near Threatened in the @IUCNRedList.
Which shore do you want to see next? https://t.co/0FirvSmDWK pic.twitter.com/hqaiEY1KOb
— Shaunak Modi (@Pugdandee) May 15, 2020
The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) have identified and documented six coral species at Worli and Haji Ali. These are hard corals that are visible during the low tide. These include two species of the Rhizangiidae family across 0.251 square meters in Worli and another species of the Dendrophylliidae family across 1.1 feet area at Haji Ali.
Were you aware of Mumbai’s coral colonies before? What do you think of BMC’s proposal? Tell us!