# 🌳 LET MUMBAI BREATHE

## *Because Mumbai deserves to grow... without losing its roots.*

### *An Open Letter to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai*

*Respected Sir/Madam,*

Mumbai is more than a city of roads, buildings and skylines.

It is the shade of an old rain tree on a summer afternoon. The sound of birds greeting the morning. The cool breeze beneath a banyan. The simple comfort of knowing that, amidst the concrete, nature still has a place.

Today, we are losing far more than trees.

Every mature tree that is felled or uprooted takes away cleaner air, cooler neighbourhoods, homes for birds and butterflies, protection from flooding, and one of our strongest natural defences against rising temperatures and pollution.

These are not just trees.

They are living infrastructure.

They quietly work every day to make Mumbai healthier, safer and more liveable—asking for nothing in return.

A tree that has taken fifty years to grow cannot be replaced by planting a sapling tomorrow. Nature cannot fast-forward what only time can create.

We understand that Mumbai must continue to grow. Better roads, public transport and infrastructure are essential for a thriving city.

*But true progress is not measured only by what we build—it is also measured by what we choose to protect.*

Development and environmental conservation are not opposing goals. The world's greatest cities have shown that both can coexist. Mumbai can too.

As climate change brings rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and increasing environmental challenges, preserving our mature trees is no longer just an environmental concern.

It is a public health priority.

It is climate resilience.

It is about the quality of life of every Mumbaikar.

Most importantly, it is about the legacy we leave for future generations.

We therefore respectfully urge the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to:

🌳 *Protect mature trees wherever possible before approving tree felling.*

🌱 *Prioritise scientific transplantation whenever relocation is feasible.*

🌿 *Ensure transparent compensatory plantation with independent, long-term survival audits.*

🤝 *Partner with schools, resident associations, environmental organisations and citizens to strengthen Mumbai's green cover.*

📋 *Make environmental preservation an essential consideration in every infrastructure and development project.*

We are *not against development.*

We believe Mumbai deserves better roads.

Better public transport.

Better infrastructure.

*And the trees that make this city worth living in.*

Progress should never come at the cost of the very environment that sustains us.

Because once a fifty-year-old tree is gone, it cannot be replaced within our children's lifetime.

If trees are the lungs of Mumbai, let us not allow our city to lose its breath.

The Bombay High Court has warned that if the indiscriminate destruction of forests and mangroves continues, the day may come when Mumbaikars will need oxygen cylinders just to breathe.

Let us ensure that this remains a caution—not a reality.

Years from now, our children will not remember how many roads we widened or how many flyovers we built.

They will remember whether we had the wisdom to preserve the natural heritage that made Mumbai beautiful, resilient and alive.

The choices we make today will shape the Mumbai they inherit tomorrow.

Let that legacy be one of balance.

One of responsibility.

One of hope.

## *Join Us*

🌳 *Sign this petition.*

📢 *Share it with your family, friends and community.*

❤️ *Every signature is a voice for cleaner air, cooler streets, richer biodiversity and a healthier Mumbai. Together, we can ensure that development and nature grow side by side.*

### *A tree cannot speak. We can.*

## *Sign today. Let Mumbai breathe.*

*With hope,*

*Concerned Citizens of Mumbai*