CB Bureau
In a step towards preservation, protection and
plantation of mangroves on Mumbai’s coastline, Ness Software Engineering Services (SES), provider of outsourced engineering services, has initiated
a mangrove-protection drive in collaboration with United Way Mumbai, a non-profit
organisation. The idea is to increase awareness about the importance of
mangrove preservation among employees and also give them an opportunity to do
their bit towards making Mumbai a green city.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant shrubs and trees that
act as natural barriers against a deluge, and they absorb carbon dioxide and
protect the coastline from soil erosion. They are home to several bird species
such as kingfishers, herons, flamingos, and egrets, and are also the natural
habitat of many insects, amphibians, and reptiles, apart from marine fauna. Considering
that Mumbai is a city built largely on reclaimed land with a vast coastline,
mangroves are necessary for the protection of its shoreline and to act as a
buffer between the land and the sea, a fact that many Mumbai residents do not
know about.
‘It is important to initiate such efforts to
preserve, protect, and grow plant life in and around Mumbai. Being a conscious company,
it is our mandate to spread awareness among employees and the communities in which
we operate. It is our privilege to collaborate with United Way Mumbai. Together
we hope to go a long way in augmenting the green cover around this city,’ read
a statement from Pruthvi Nanjappa, vice
president, HR, Ness India, in a media release shared with CauseBecause.
It is to be noted here that the concentration of
mangroves in Mumbai has substantially decreased over the years due to land
reclamation, construction, and sewage-treatment plants. In the early 1990s,
approximately over 37 square kilometres of mangroves existed in the city, of
which, as per various estimates, nearly 40 per cent has eroded in the last
decade.