CIDCO Coastal Road Project: Backlash for mangrove damages, endangering Navi Mumbai's flamingo lake

The construction of the Kharghar-Nerul Coastal Road in Navi Mumbai by the City Industrial and Development Corporation (CIDCO) has sparked serious environmental concerns. Activists allege that the project is causing extensive damage to critical mangrove ecosystems and regional biodiversity.

Environmental groups claim that CIDCO is openly violating several regulations. These include the Ministry of Environment’s conditional environmental clearance and a 2018 Bombay High Court order prohibiting the destruction of mangroves.

Activists from NatConnect Foundation and Kharghar Wetlands Forum have documented extensive landfilling and debris dumping that are burying mangrove forests and intertidal wetlands. The 600-metre road threatens approximately 30 acres of sensitive ecological zones, potentially disrupting wildlife habitats and compromising the area's natural flood prevention mechanism.

Activists also raised concerns about the road blocking intertidal water flow, threatening the 30-acre DPS Flamingo Lake—a critical tidal-water satellite wetland for migratory birds. This is where the pink beauties take shelter, during high tides at Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary.

Environmentalists demand an immediate halt to the project, removal of landfill, and the restoration of water flow, to save the ecosystem. The issue is now under review by the National Green Tribunal, as activists urge the government to reject CIDCO’s plans and prioritise biodiversity conservation.