Mumbai: ‘Flies in the face of G20 commitment’

Adding ballast to the save Malabar Hill trees campaign Mumbai First a prestigious publicprivate partnership whose tagline says it all lsquoto make the city a better place to live work and invest inrsquo has written a letter to Maharashtra Governor Ramesh BaisThe letter dated September 21 is headlined Cutting Down Trees Malabar Hill Area The 15page communication signed by Mumbai First Chairman Narinder Nayar takes into account press reports about a proposal for a new water reservoir at Malabar HillThe new reservoir will necessitate the cutting down of 389 trees in the area at Pherozeshah Mehta Garden also known as Hanging Gardens and Shantivan Garden tucked away behind Hanging Gardens Officials clarified that there are 189 trees which will need to be cut and 200 that will be transplantedNarinder Nayar chairman Mumbai FirstLocals though say the 200 will nevertheless be removed from the area An official stated that these 200 trees will be transplanted in Bhandup Technicalities aside the bottom line is that the Malabar Hill area will lose substantial green coverNow Nayar has added decibels to all the voices going up to relook at this proposal or asking those in charge the BMC water department and engineers to consider an alternative to hacking down treesGreenerExcerpts from Nayarrsquos letter read lsquoIt is a matter of great achievement that under Indiarsquos G20 Presidencymdashwe achieved a rare featmdashconsensus for the joint communique that was elusive in Bali last year The New Delhi Communique highlights several agreements to deal with the challenges of climate change Also on this occasion our PM together with world leaders launched a special mission lsquoTogether for a greener futurersquoAlso read lsquoImprove teaching learning to ensure standards are metrsquoIn the next paragraph the Mumbai First chairman notes that he has been concerned after reading press reports that at least 389 trees are going to be chopped down in the Malabar Hill area This he said ldquoflies in the face of Indiarsquos commitment at the G20rdquoHe cites severe adverse consequences of tree cutting some of which are ldquoCutting down trees contributes to emissions and climate change extreme weather events which affect our cities By destroying naturersquos mechanism we are reducing the earthrsquos ability to deal with high carbon concentrationsrdquoAlternativesNayar said that everybody realised and acknowledged the need to augment water resources in Mumbai His letter though added ldquoHowever the economic consideration should not be at the cost of the environment We must look at alternative solutionsrdquoIn a recent meet between residents and officials pushing for the project the former had stressed that they thought enough effort was not taken in looking for alternatives and if there was will there was sure to be some alternative to cutting trees in the vicinity for a reservoirExpertiseIn his letter Nayar pointed to a past Mumbai First project where the organisation committed to enhancing city livability had initiated the preparation of a Concept Plan 2050 for the MMR and it was prepared by a Singapore consultantThey had proposed some solutions for water problems The letter said ldquoSingapore is a good example where they had created considerable water reservoirs by reclamationrdquoIn the end Mumbai First said that they requested ldquoa committee be set up which we will fully support and we will bring in international experts from Singapore Netherlands and other countries to consider how we can deal with the challenges that we face hererdquoLivelihoodIn the end the letter said ldquoto protect and conserve critical ecological systems and resources and invaluable natural and manmade heritage are essential for life support livelihoods economic growth and a broad conception of human wellbeingrdquo It said that they could be physically present to discuss the matter if the governor could spare some time tooOptimisticNayar said ldquoI decided to write as I was alarmed and concerned at the press reports To say that there is no alternative when we are in such a hitech age is wrong We can have a team of experts to assess the situationrdquoWhen asked if he thought the letter could actually lead to rethinks or some action the chairman said cheerily ldquoYes we have to be positive and we are optimistsrdquo The communication is marked to a host of top leaders including state Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others