The main two proposals to remove trees have come from the civic administration itself. It has sought permission for the removal of 1,812 trees (for the first component of the project) and 534 trees (for the second component), for the Master Balance Reservoir (MBR), which is part of the Middle Vaitarna dam project. The project is aimed at meeting Mumbai’s growing water needs.
Civic officials who inspected the Bhandup Water Complex spots, which has a heavy green cover, have said that for the first component of the water project, 811 trees can be cut while the remaining 1,001 can be transplanted. For the second, 346 trees can be felled and the remaining transplanted.
Civic officials said that while MBR will be constructed on the existing building premises, the construction of the water treatment plant and the work to lay down two km of pipelines will require cutting down of trees.
“Both the components are extremely crucial to the entire project and there is no option but remove the trees,” said a senior civic official from the water supply department.
The second MBR (Rs 60 crore) is part of the Middle Vaitarna project, which will supply 450 MLD of additional water to the city and will help in the storage of (130 million litres water). The treatment plant to be constructed at a cost of Rs 80 crore will have the capacity of treating 1,000 million liters of raw water per day.
A two-km pipeline will be laid down to connect the MBR and the treatment plant. The project is expected to be completed by March 2010. Two other important projects that require cutting down of trees are the MMRDA’s longpending Santacruz- Chembur Link road, for which 187 trees will be removed from their original location and 87 will be replanted, and the skywalk at Vidyavihar that will take a toll on 35 trees. Avinash Kubal, a Tree Authority member and deputy director of the Maharashtra Nature Park, said that removal of trees for Bhandup project was important and objections, if any is raised, could delay the project. “The treatment plant and MBR cannot be shifted from the location to prevent felling of trees, so there is no point in opposing the proposal,” he said.
Residents of Dadar are up in arms against the BMC for felling of 71 trees for the BMC’s Olympicsize Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool. Nagesh Kini, a nature lover and CA, said a group of Shivaji Park residents will protest against the felling of trees and take up the matter on Thursday with the Tree Authority. “There is a notice stuck on trees saying 111 trees will be cut.
However there is a mismatch in the number of trees on the spot and that mentioned on the notice.
In fact trees have already been cut in addition to those mentioned on the notice,” he said.
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