Navi Mumbai: Activists have expressed concern over the low survival rate of saplings planted on Parsik Hill and in Shirvane village. Two years after 28,240 indigenous saplings were planted on Parsik Hill through an NGO in collaboration with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), only around 50% are surviving.
Shirvane Plantation Site
Similarly, a decade after 20,000 saplings were planted on reserved forest land under Shirvane village as part of the Cidco natural garden scheme in 2014-15, only around 10% have survived. The Shirvane site spans approximately 50 hectares and was planted with species such as cashew and java plum.
Allegations of Negligence
Local activist Sudhir Dani alleged that about half of the saplings died due to negligence. He pointed out that drip irrigation pipelines on the roadsides are dry. In an effort to keep some saplings alive, locals and trekkers have tied packaged water bottles with small holes in their caps to provide irrigation. NGO representative Amruta Paradkar confirmed that their organization had planted the saplings.
Trekkers' Observations
A group of trekkers from CBD-Belapur and Kharghar regularly walk on this stretch. Suresh Thorat, one of the trekkers, noted that hardly any trees are found in the area. The hilltop remains dry for about eight months after the monsoon. Saplings up to 3 feet in height have a very low survival rate, while taller saplings need proper care for a minimum period to survive. However, Thorat added that the plantation site can be maintained using water from the main pipeline.
