Save Mumbai Mangroves campaign: Who really benefits from the coastal road?

by June 5, 2026 Environment
Mangroves are being cut in Mumbai even as the world observes Environment Day. Watch this video to understand citizens' concerns regarding the Coastal Road project.

“We are literally risking our lives with floods. We are a coastal city. To mess around with mangroves is digging your own grave,” says Pooja Domadia of Save Mumbai Mangroves, a campaign born in the wake of the decision to construct the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road in Mumbai. This mega project is going to impact 45,000 mangroves.

The cutting of the mangroves has already begun to make way for the 26.3 km Coastal Road. In March this year, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s go-ahead for the project. But concerned Mumbaikars are not giving up. Save Mumbai Mangroves has been speaking up, creating awareness through various means, and staging protests for the past few months.

Fisherfolk at Cahrkop Gaon
Fisherman Dhiraj Bhandari shows the point where the tunnel for the coastal road is likely to come and the creek where they fish. The fishing community at Charkop too is worried about the coastal road and its effect on their livelihood. Pic: Shruti Gokarn

“We want to understand a little more about how the afforestation practices are being done,” says Vidushi Kala of the group. The expectations of the group from the BMC are simple: be transparent in your decisions and involve the public in the decision-making process. After all, it is a public project, made with public resources and made for the public.

Check out this video interview, where Pooja and Vidushi tell Citizen Matters about their concerns regarding the coastal road, alternatives to it, their expectations from the BMC, and what keeps them going:

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About Shruti Gokarn

Shruti Gokarn is a Reporter for Citizen Matters. A former educator turned journalist, she writes on education, handicrafts, food, and travel among other things. Her other interests are crocheting, and reading.
Read more by Shruti Gokarn

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