669 cameras to be installed in MMR to monitor mangrove area

In a bid to check the rampant encroachment of mangrove forests, 669 CCTV cameras will soon be installed in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), officials said on Wednesday. The Maharashtra forest department has floated a tender for the Rs120 crore project and issued a request for proposal.

Nearly a week ago, the state government approved a two-phase plan for 195 eco-sensitive areas. The cost of the project will be borne by the Maharashtra Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation. With the CCTV network and a centralised monitoring system, officials said the video surveillance will cover mangrove areas in Mumbai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Navi Mumbai, Panvel and Uran.

SV Rama Rao, chief of the forest department’s mangrove cell, said the high-priority project also seeks to assure people that the environment is protected and cared for. BN Kumar, director of the non-profit NatConnect Foundation, which has campaigned for CCTV surveillance, expressed satisfaction over the development, while alleging that mangroves and wetlands are being encroached upon by land mafia and the construction industry, which dumps debris in wetlands.

However, the proposed network should also include mangrove belts that fall under the jurisdiction of government agencies such as the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), he added. When Rama Rao approved the project a week ago, he reportedly said that Ernst & Young had been appointed as a consultant for the project almost two years ago. The firm helped the forest department field officials study the entire MMR stretch to identify ecologically sensitive locations.

In September last year, during the 25th meeting on mangrove conservation, Konkan Divisional Commissioner Dr Mahendra Kalyankar had also directed all government agencies to coordinate their efforts to save mangroves. It was decided to install CCTVs to monitor the disturbance of the sensitive mangrove area. The participants, including Rama Rao through video conference, discussed the preparation of maps every six months using satellite imagery and taking preventive measures if any changes are found.