Sanctuary |Cover Story
26 Sanctuary Asia, June 2019In November 2018, the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai
(BMC) began dumping tons of debris in the intertidal areas of
the city’s western coast, to build a freeway. The project has
been challenged in the High Court of Mumbai, on grounds
that the ongoing reclamation works will also irreversibly
alter the coastal morphology, the dependent biodiversity
and traditional ecological practices of the artisanal fi shing
communities. The critics also pointed out that the freeway
and the ongoing reclamation work is in breach of the law on
environment clearances, traditional rights and jurisdiction.
As a coastal community that inhabits and practices its
occupation in proximity to some of the most expensive
real estate in the world, the artisanal fi shers of Mumbai are
vulnerable to development pressures. The coast and shallow
seas are a productive landscape for fi shers – their intricate
fabric of economic, social and cultural life being rooted in
the interface between land and water. Marine life thrives in
shallow seas including inter-tidal and sub-tidal areas, which
are important habitats. They are also feeding and spawning
grounds for fi sh and a crucial part of the marine food chain.
The health of the ecology and biodiversity of these shallow
coastal waters are thus critical to the livelihoods of artisanalTHE CONTESTED COAST
IMPACTS OF RECLAMATION ON ARTISANAL FISHING IN MUMBAI
By Shweta Wagh
fi shers. In contrast to the deep-sea fi shers who employ
large boats, and whose expeditions often last over days,
artisan fi shers engage in near-shore fi shing using indigenous
technologies and small or mid-sized boats, work individually
or in smaller teams, and their expeditions synchronise with
the daily tidal rhythms of the sea. Having adopted methods
of fi shing suited to the shallow coastal waters which provide
a rich habitat for marine fauna, artisan fi shing is a labour
intensive, low-intensity, passive process, involving waiting for
and trapping fi sh that move with currents or towards shallow
waters or inter-tidal areas according to tidal, ecological or
seasonal variations. Diff erent kinds of specialised techniques
have been evolved over time to harness these copious waters
and involve the use of various kinds of tools, nets and gear,
each adapted to varying depths of water, specifi c conditions
of the coast and designed to catch diff erent kinds of fi sh.
The artisanal fi shers have a long history of working with
nature, and their knowledge of the sea and its resources
have been acquired through practice, and passed on from
generation to generation.
The social impact assessment undertaken by the project
proponents did not consult the fi shing community, nor did itAs a coastal community that inhabits and practices its occupation in proximity to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, the artisanal
fi shers of Mumbai are vulnerable to development pressures.Sanctuary |Cover Story
26 Sanctuary Asia, June 2019SHWETA WAGH NITESH PATIL