The state’s move has come at a time when it also declared plans to set up an expert committee to identify the reason behind floods in the state.

D Stalin, director, Vanashakti, a Mumbai based NGO working for environmental rights opined that the state government has not learned its lesson from the past, wherein the greed of builders had made Maharashtra more prone to floods.

“Opening salt pan land for development will increase flooding in Mumbai and will drown the entire suburbs. It will also destroy the coastal wetlands,” he said.

Debi Goenka from Conservation Action Trust, another NGO working for environmental causes, said the move will be disastrous for the city. “Currently, salt pan lands are protected under coastal regulation zone [CRZ] rules. The wetlands play an important role in securing the city from floods. If the government opens them for development, it will prove disastrous for the city as sea levels are already rising because of climate change and the last thing one wants is to destroy the city’s natural defence,” Goenka said.

Maharashtra has nearly 13,000 acres of salt pan land, with 5,300 acres in Mumbai, followed by around 2,000 acres in Vasai and 2,000 acres in Palghar.

Of the 5,300 acres in Mumbai, the city’s Development Plan (DP) 2034 allows for 1,781 acres to be developed. However, it is not yet clear if the state will open up the entire 1,781 acres for construction, as a part of it may come under environment regulations. https://m.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-will-drown-if-devpt-is-allowed-on-salt-pans/story-OUUhQXtzTrDMjR7JXi288M.html