GREEN EFFORTS FALL SHORT
Noise Mapping Is A Distant Dream, Mangroves Are Being Hacked. On World Environment Day, TOI Does A Reality Check ……….Mansi Choksi I TNN
A Perennially Delayed Map
Arecent survey, according to the Mumbai traffic police, pegged Mumbai as the third noisiest city in the world. But though noise levels in the city have evidently gone up, authorities are yet to wake up to the seriousness of the problem and the need to find solutions—the first step of which would be a noise mapping exercise.
Though a small step to create awareness about traffic noise was taken in the form of observing a no-honking day in April, the noise mapping project, first announced by the MMRDA in 2004, is yet to take off.
Noise mapping, done using computer-based techniques, has already been carried out in a number of European cities. “The integration of the results of noise mapping in the development control plan that is currently under revision by the MMRDA is essential in a city like Mumbai. Trying to control noise without comprehensive scientific data is like trying to control physical development without a geographical map of the city,’’ says Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz.
The MMRDA was supposed to make a state-of-the-art noise map of the city that could serve as a planning and noise reduction tool. “The idea was to quantify the scale of noise problems, provide information on the scale and location of the problems and assist the authorities to reduce noise levels,” said Abdulali.
When Abdulali filed a petition regarding the noise-mapping project last year, the MMRDA, in its affidavit, replied that the project would take off only after infrastructure projects were complete. “I don’t think there will ever be a date when the infrastructure projects in a developing city like ours will be over,’’ says Abdulali.
Vikas Tondwalkar, joint director of project (environment), MMRDA, said the project was just on hold. “The noise mapping project has been postponed as noise from construction work will interfere in baseline monitoring. The project will definitely be taken up soon,’’ he said.
Coastal GraveyardColourful saris, old dupattas, worn-out dhotis and spare towels pooled in by residents of Versova will be knotted together on Sunday to form a 1.5 km fence along the high tide line (HDL) to prevent dumping of debris in the mangroves off the Juhu-Versova Link Road.
Coastal GraveyardColourful saris, old dupattas, worn-out dhotis and spare towels pooled in by residents of Versova will be knotted together on Sunday to form a 1.5 km fence along the high tide line (HDL) to prevent dumping of debris in the mangroves off the Juhu-Versova Link Road.
Fed up with false promises and government inaction to stop debris from being dumped there, the residents of the area along with volunteers from NGO Save Forum will take it upon themselves to ensure that the mangroves are safe.
“The government had, in complete violation of CRZ rules, allotted the creek land that was full of lush mangroves at Juhu-Versova for development to various cooperative housing societies. This led to the wanton destruction of mangroves for vested interests,’’ says Usha Kiran of Save Forum, adding that her organisation had filed a writ petition and the state had assured the high court that it would take immediate remedial action to protect the mangroves but nothing had been done.
It’s not just the mangroves at Versova. The city’s one mangrove park in Sewri is choking on oil, hundreds of acres of mangroves have been systematically destroyed by builders and slum dwellers in the eastern and western suburbs and Thane despite the high court ordering the state to protect the ecologically sensitive areas in 2005. Activists say Mumbai and its surrounding areas may have lost as much as a fifth of the mangrove cover it had when the high court gave the save-mangrove order. In 2005-06 mangroves occupied only 10-12 sq km of the 430 sq km land mass area of the city and between 1997 and 2002, Mumbai lost close to 3,000 acres of mangrove cover, say environmentalists.
Rishi Aggarwal of Mangrove Society of India says, “The reason for the depleting mangrove cover can only be public apathy and the real estate lobby aggressively seeking the land which the mangroves stand on.’’
Toxins In The AirIn March this year, the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) levels in the city touched 609 microgrammes per cubic metre (mg/m3), almost double that in the same month the year before; the air we breathed last month had 253 mg/m3 of nitrogen oxides (NOx), show figures available with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) that are prepared from air quality monitoring stations set up across the city.
Toxins In The AirIn March this year, the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) levels in the city touched 609 microgrammes per cubic metre (mg/m3), almost double that in the same month the year before; the air we breathed last month had 253 mg/m3 of nitrogen oxides (NOx), show figures available with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) that are prepared from air quality monitoring stations set up across the city.
What’s more, the pollution chart in the city is dotted with red figures which indicate levels of pollutants that are beyond the permissible limit.
Experts suggest that the rise in levels of vehicular and solid waste pollution have largely been responsible for air pollutants. “The increasing amount of air pollutants are a result of the traffic pollution and then there’s construction work going on in the city also. This is a common feature in almost any Indian metropolis,’’ said a senior official from MPCB.
When More Is LessIf the tree census carried out by the BMC is to be believed, the city’s tree cover is increasing by the day. The last census, carried out in 1998-99, said that there were around 5 lakh trees in the city while the BMC’s tree census for 2008 says there are around 18.5 lakh trees in 23 wards. BMC officials estimate the number to increase by 3 lakh after the survey is complete.
When More Is LessIf the tree census carried out by the BMC is to be believed, the city’s tree cover is increasing by the day. The last census, carried out in 1998-99, said that there were around 5 lakh trees in the city while the BMC’s tree census for 2008 says there are around 18.5 lakh trees in 23 wards. BMC officials estimate the number to increase by 3 lakh after the survey is complete.
But tree lovers are skeptical. “When the census was carried out in 1998, the parameters of tree identification were that it had to be around 4 ft above ground level and had a diameter of 6 inches but this year they have brought it down to 4 inches,’’ says Nilesh Baxi, nominated member of the Tree Authority, adding that it meant that even trees that were young were included in the census.
As the civic body gets ready to distribute saplings after the first showers of the monsoons, tree lovers also warn that it needs to focus on the variety of trees. “In all parts of the world, local civic bodies stress on native plants. Exotic trees like Gulmohar and Peltoforum which are popular here have weak roots and vulnerable to getting uprooted during harsh rains,’’ said Baxi.
Naturalist Dr Ashok Kothari said monsoon saplings should not be distributed until they are at least two years old and three feet tall and that the civic body should try to create awareness about tree varieties and the maintenance of saplings.
“Before saplings are distributed, people should be educated about the varieties of trees they choose to transplant,’’ he said, adding that opting for exotic trees like Rain tree, Gulmohar and Nilgiri was not practical as they were large and tough to maintain. “These may be popular but exotic trees destroy drainage lines, are difficult to trim and sometimes even pose security hazards,’’ said Kothari.
What you can do to help:
If you are affected by high noise levels then lodge a complaint at the police control room numbers 100 and 103. Insist on receiving a complaint number so that it is recorded in the police register and a comparison between high noise levels and police permissions is made possible