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Recent RTI data shows that Thane district has lost over 89,000 trees, with nearly 98,540 proposed for felling due to infrastructure projects. The Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway accounts for the largest share of deforestation, followed by the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, Nirmal Road expansion, and various irrigation schemes. Central Railway projects and other road works have also diverted significant forest land. Environmentalists warn that mature trees cannot be quickly replaced, leading to long-term losses in carbon absorption, oxygen supply, biodiversity, and groundwater recharge, urging stricter oversight and transparency in forest clearances.
Infrastructure development in Thane district has resulted in the proposed felling of over 98,000 trees, with more than 89,000 already removed, according to data obtained through an RTI application. The disclosure highlights a substantial loss in forest cover and a corresponding decline in the region's carbon absorption capacity. Advertisement
The Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway alone accounts for the largest share, with 79,540 trees cut in Package IV, where 385.6 hectares of forest land were diverted. Other projects contributing to the loss include the Mumbai -Vadodara Expressway Phase II, which involves 111.7 hectares of forest land and 6,597 trees marked for removal, and the Nirmal Road (NH 61) expansion, affecting 26.4 hectares with 3,317 trees proposed for felling. Irrigation projects such as the Bhuwan and Asnoli Minor Irrigation Schemes have also added to the environmental toll, with 7,043 and 9,084 trees respectively marked for removal.
Central Railway projects, including the Kalyan-Badlapur third and fourth lines and the Ambivli-Asangaon section, have diverted 16.7 hectares of forest land, resulting in 921 trees cut and 851 slated for removal. Additionally, the Mumbai Minor Irrigation Project and other road expansion works have contributed to forest clearance in the region.
Environmental activist Jeetendra Ghadekar, who filed the RTI, emphasized that losing nearly 100,000 trees each year severely impacts the district's ecological balance. He noted that one mature tree produces enough oxygen for two people annually, and the removal of over 98,000 trees represents a major oxygen deficit. He also stressed that trees are crucial not only as carbon sinks but for biodiversity and groundwater recharge.
Experts warn that compensatory plantations cannot immediately replace mature forests. The carbon absorption deficit will remain for years, as newly planted saplings take a long time to reach maturity. Environmentalists have called for stricter scrutiny of forest clearances and greater transparency in compensatory afforestation measures to ensure infrastructure development does not cause irreversible ecological damage.
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