With Lord Ganesha On Their Side, This Is How Activists Are Hoping To Save Mumbai's Aarey Forest

While Maharashtra is celebrating one of its biggest festivals, it's an unusual sight in Mumbai - decked up trees!

The trees in Aarey Forest are painted with images of Lord Ganesha in an effort to create awareness about its conservations amidst increasing threat of Mumbai losing its lungs for a metro construction.

Environmentalists and concerned Mumbikers have been fighting for years to save the 33 hectares of thick urban forest which the Maharashtra Government has denotified as an eco-sensitive zone for the construction of a car shed for Mumbai Metro.

According to campaigners, Aarey Forest in Goregaon is the world¡¯s only forest in the middle of a modern metropolis and is home to not just a huge diversity of rare insects, reptiles and mammals including wild leopards, but also more than 7000 indigenous tribal people who have been living here in 27 aboriginal Warli tribal hamlets here for centuries, in harmony with nature, protecting this forest.

"We thought it is a good way to bring some light to the campaign and get some attention. In the past, on Rakhi we had done 'Vriksha Bandhan', and tied rakhi to trees. And when Ganesha festival approached, we thought, why not? Some very talented artists from our group went there and made all the paintings. These were all done using natural materials and colours," Yash Marwah, a campaigner with Youth For Aarey explained.

Armed with a National Green Tribunal order, the environmentalists managed to get the construction halted, at least that is what they thought. But, Yash told Indiatimes that even while the NGT ban is in place the MMCR is going ahead with the construction work. He also alleged that the MMRC officials are involved in a disinformation campaign, and hiding the facts.

"They are saying that there is no alternative line and if the metro is not built people will die in overcrowded trains. We had proposed 6-8 alternative plots for the same project, but from the each plot had one of the other problem and was rejected," Yash said.

According to MMRCL Aarey was not a forest land and, therefore, it had the authority to construct there without permissions from the designated forest or local authorities.

"There are 5 lakhs trees and the government says it is not a forest. It was always a no development zone, free of constructions. Now the government wants to build a service centre there, which will come up there at the expense of 4000 trees. That is what we are opposing," Stalin Dayanand who has been leading the camping explained.

"Despite giving other options, the government is not willing to listen. It is not just the citizens who have wanted against this. Even two scientists who were a part of the government appointed committee to look into the matter said that do not destroy this area and there are other places and take it there," Dayanand added.

For a concrete jungle like Mumbai, Aarey forest is often referred to as its lungs. Because it plays such a key role in keeping the air quality of India's financial capital somewhat breathable.

"The suggested average ratio is six trees per person, but in Mumbai, it is one tree for four persons, that is how bad the situation is as of now. If you come to Aarey at any point of time, it is 2-3 degrees cooler than the rest of the city, and it is filtering out the pollutants of Mumbai's air," Dayanand explained.

Every year Mumbai has a tough time battling the floods during the monsoon. Environmentalists warn that the situation will get even worse if the floodplains two rivers in Aarey Forest are covered in concrete.

"Aarey doesn't just serve as a forest, it has two rivers, the Oshiwara River and Mithi River. So it is a total no-go zone if you look to form an ecological point of view. Despite an NGT order, MMRC had erected huge concrete pillars in one of the rivers. We have challenged it in the court, and if the verdict goes against them they will have to demolish it. We are not against the metro project, we don't want it at the expense of the Aarey forest," Dayanand said.

Activists say they have pinned their hopes on the NGT order and are willing to go to the highest court to save one of Mumbai's last patches of greenery.