Thread by @aaranrpatel

Projections suggest that by 2050, large swathes of Mumbai’s landmass could be inundated due to a combination of storm surges, heavy rainfall and the ever-rising tide.
#mumbaifloods
@saveourcoastMUM
📷: @nytimes
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As Mumbai faces this existential threat, its coastal ecosystem will play a vital role in protection against floods and storms.
#mumbaifloods
@saveourcoastMUM
@Mangroves
@MangroveForest
My 📷 of mangroves at Sewri and Trans Harbour Link Construction
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Research suggests that mangroves, wetlands and other natural ecosystems are more important and less expensive than artificial barriers like sea walls in mitigating the impact of a changing climate.
#mumbaifloods
@saveourcoastMUM
@Mangroves
@MangroveForest
My 📷 of Bandra
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Protecting these natural barriers and restoring coastal ecosystems also has economic significance: The devastating floods of July 2005 cost Mumbai an estimated $1.7 billion in damages.
#mumbaifloods
@saveourcoastMUM
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At current levels of flood risk and with minimal protections in place, Mumbai is estimated to lose $6.4 billion per year over the next few decades.
#mumbaifloods
@saveourcoastMUM
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Ironically, one need not look further than the @mybmcCoastalRd Detailed Project Report commissioned by @mybmc to understand the importance of mangroves and other natural barriers.
#mumbaifloods
@saveourcoastMUM
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“By trapping silt, mangroves maintain the integrity of Mumbai’s shoreline,” it states. “This is an integral service to the city of Mumbai as it is very prone to erosion, having been built on reclaimed land that is battered by the sea on all three sides."
#mumbaifloods
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"The recent rains in Mumbai and the disaster that followed demonstrated the consequence of tampering with the ecology of fragile ecosystems like mangroves," according to the report.
#mumbaifloods
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"Had Mumbai’s Mithi River and Mahim Creek mangroves not been destroyed by builders, fewer people would have died and the property damage would have been dramatically less.” However, the report also refers to the protected mangrove forest as a “constraint” at some points.
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The Bom HC's Jul 19 order on the Coastal Road offers direction on how to resolve this conflict: “the traditional concept that development and ecology are opposed to each other is no longer acceptable”. Instead of this false dichotomy, “sustainable development is the answer”.
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Mumbai’s viability as a home to its millions of residents and financial engine for the country is inextricably bound up with how the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai approaches ecological balance, and providing essential infrastructure and services.
#mumbaifloods
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Mumbai can prepare for the future by protecting its mangroves and wetlands, and upgrading its stormwater drainage system with pumps and overflow chambers to deal with flooding.
#mumbaifloods
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Thread above is an excerpt of my photo essay for @scroll_in on Mumbai's development priorities. @mybmc needs to take heed of recommendations in its own reports and act urgently to solve this existential crisis.
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@tajmahalfoxtrot

scroll.in/article/962964…

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