Plastics: A menace to the mangrove ecosystems of megacity Mumbai, India

Abstract

The indiscriminate rapid development of megacities with no proper planning, formal settlement and waste disposal in the coastal areas, are the major causes of plastic pollution in the seas of the tropical developing countries (Tibbetts, 2015). Mumbai, a megacity in India, located at 18°53’–19°19’ N and 72°47’–72°59’ E, bordering the Arabian Sea along the west coast, is home to 18.41 million people having a diversified life style (Census of India, 2011). A general lack of awareness on environmental issues, and the inadequacy and inaccessibility to appropriate waste disposal systems led to the generation of 750 tonnes of plastics (Chatterjee, 2017a).

Mangroves are structurally complex iconic ecosystems, which cover an area of 66 km2 in Mumbai. They occupy tidal-fed areas between human settlement of the city and the shoreline, acting as a reserve for rich flora and fauna (Forest Survey of India, 2017). But they also serve as the undesignated anthropogenic waste dumping areas. Diversity-rich mangroves on the seven islands of Mumbai have been mostly denuded and now the islands are interconnected in the name of urbanization to form the present day city (Kathiresan, 2008). In recent times, the accumulation of plastic wastes threatens the biodiversity associated with the mangrove patches, along the Gorai creek, Versova creek, Mahim bay, Sewri-Mahul mud flats and Thane creek in Mumbai.