I speak about the kidneys of the city - our mangrove forests.
For today’s #GreenSpacesDictionary and @mumbaismagic let's explore our tide washed forests. For those of you who are not from Mumbai, one of the most fascinating things you should know is that this island city is protected by a nice green belt of flora in the intertidal zone called the mangrove forest. And Sundar as the Sundarban but in 1 Room Kitchen Mumbai ya size.
When you fly into Mumbai from the mainland side, you will fly over a carpet of green with veins of black running through it. That’s our kidney. It soaks up a lot of the dirt in the fluids we Mumbaikars secrete before it reaches the sea. It is supported by a large treatment plant which can also be seen as you glide into Mumbai.
But on the ground, it is a wonderland of biodiversity, alive and dancing to the tides. During the high tide kites and mongoose hunt together. A few jackals continue to live in them and most of all if you have friends from Bhandup to Thane belt who are crazy about birds, it’s because they are close to this wonderland. You will become a Salim Ali if you venture here.
Sticking to the positive side, the flamingoes visit us because of the mangroves too.
And that’s where your favourite crab comes from.
When the ocean levels rise, they will be our first line of defence, not a sea wall.
The mangroves of Mumbai need big fat books but we do have a museum now, dedicated to it that you should visit in Airoli, across the creek from Mulund. I could go on an on but then it’s best that you step out or google and find out more!
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