Save mangroves save environment

BRAVO OSHIWARA LOKHANDWALA : KEEP IT UP!

Suddenly everybody is talking about protecting fast depleting mangroves. The question,  an ordinary citizen asks : why it is important and what are the possible threats due to destruction of  mangroves.

 Let me talk issues one by one. In fact mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes 25° N and 25° S. The word is used in at least three senses: 

i. most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant assemblage or mangal, for which the terms mangrove forest biome, mangrove swamp and mangrove forest are also used, 

ii. to refer to all trees and large shrubs in the mangrove swamp,

iii. if we talk in hard botonical lingo, narrowly it   refer to the mangrove family of plants, the Rhizophoraceae, or even more specifically just to mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora.

The mangrove biome, or mangal, is a distinct saline woodland or shrubland habitat characterized by a depositional coastal environments, where fine sediments (often with high organic content) collect in areas protected from high-energy wave action. Mangroves dominate three quarters of tropical coastlines.The saline conditions tolerated by various mangrove species range from brackish water, through pure seawater, to water concentrated by evaporation to over twice the salinity of ocean seawater.

Now let us explain what mangroves do for us, it protect coastal land from any kind of damage caused by many factors.  Mangrove swamps protect coastal areas from erosion, storm surge , and tsunamis type threats because mangroves' massive root systems are efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they slow down tidal water enough that its sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all except fine particles when the tide ebbs. In this way, mangroves build their own environment. Because of the uniqueness of mangrove ecosystems and the protection against erosion they provide, they are often the object of conservation programmes.

Over a long period of time mangrove area surrounding  Mumbai, which protect flooding situation during rains and harbour numerous kind of rare birds and other creatures, is under constant threat from greedy land sharks. A number of buildings have come up on mangrove area. The technique is simple, identify mangrove in some secluded area, start dumping garbage there, fill the land mass, start constructing buildings.Till now mangroves around Lokhandwala area in Andheri suburb of Mumbai were well protected, with the result when the entire city was under deluge, this was the only patch which was totally unaffected. 

But silently some mangrove destruction work was going on, and alert citizens started taking note of it and under the umbrella organisation Oshiwara Lokhandwala Citizens Association (OLCA) has been formed with active co-operation of enlightened social activists. 

MARCHING FOR A CAUSE

CELEBRITIES ALSO CAME OUT 

IS IT LOUD AND CLEAR 

WEALTH OF NATURE TO PROTECT YOU

KEEP IT LIKE THIS DO NOT ALLOW ANY ONE TO TOUCH IT 

As a  part of their initiative, OLCA has organised a march on the Republic Day,to make Oshiwara and Lokhandwala residents aware about the possible threats to the mangroves close to them.Host of celebrities who normally do not endorse anything without a fees, also come out and joined the March. The kind of turn out with in a short span of time is really commendable. 

                                                                                                          - Pradeep Gupta

                                                                                                                  9920205614