In photos: Koli fishers fear loss of livelihood, cultural identity as Mumbai fells 45,000 mangroves
· Scroll
Just before dawn, small fishing boats sail into the creeks dotting Mumbai’s coastline. By mid-morning, the catch will be sorted, packed and delivered to the city’s many markets. Living along the coast of this Indian megacity, the Indigenous Koli fishing community has followed the same routine for generations.
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Along these creeks, mangrove forests stand firm in the mudflats. Forming the city’s first line of defence against floods, they break the force of tides, hold the shoreline in place, sequester carbon and shelter the fish that sustain these waters.
In local Marathi dialects, mangroves are known as kaandalvan, teewar and khaarphuti. For fishers, they are the foundation of daily survival.
But a new 26 km coastal road planned between the upscale Versova neighbourhood and the suburbs of Bhayandar threatens these ecosystems.
“I earn around Rs 1,500-2,000 rupees a day. We fish 365 days,” says Sanjay Bhandari. The 50-year-old fisher works in Charkop, a Mumbai municipality the road will pass through. “If this coastal road comes, my income will go to zero.”
In March, India’s Supreme Court declined to overturn a ruling by the high court in Mumbai that permitted the removal of around 46,000 mangrove trees. The city’s planning authority, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, will be undertaking the work. The road is expected to be...