MUMBAI, Dec. 22 -- In a bid to halt what they termed "destructive, car-centric development", environmental activists and residents on Wednesday staged a silent protest at Charkop village against the proposed Versova-Bhayandar coastal road. Warning that the project would lead to large-scale destruction of mangroves and heighten climate and flood risks along Mumbai's coast, around 25 residents gathered at the project site, holding placards and raising slogans. The protest follows the Bombay high court's recent approval to the BMC to proceed with the coastal road project, which is expected to impact around 45,000 mangroves. According to activists, the affected mangroves form a significant share of nearly 60,000 mangroves spread across the Charkop-Dahisar belt, a stretch that is already vulnerable to flooding and sea-level rise. Natasha Pereira, an environmental activist, said that citizens were being mobilised to understand the implications of the project. "We have made posters and raised awareness so that people know their rights," she said. "From Charkop to Dahisar, a huge portion of mangroves will be lost. Mangroves are natural flood guards, trap dust, protect the coastline and absorb three to five times more carbon dioxide than regular forests." Pointing out the climate risks, she added, "Sea levels are already rising by about 4 mm every year. Removing mangroves puts tens of thousands of residents at risk." Pereira criticised the proposed compensatory afforestation, parts of which are planned in Chandrapur district. "Planting trees hundreds of kilometres away is useless for Mumbai's coastline," she said. "Mangroves here protect us from floods and storms. You cannot cut mangroves in Mumbai and claim compensation by planting trees in Chandrapur. Besides, studies show that nearly 52% of mangrove saplings do not survive. Even when they do, it takes years for them to start carbon sequestration." Manan Desai, another environmental activist, said the project offered limited public benefit. "Nobody on the ground wants this coastal road," he said. "There is already a metro network, and local train frequencies are being increased. This project is clearly for private car owners." Desai added that mangroves stored significantly more carbon than terrestrial trees and played a critical role in mitigating climate change. Concerns were also raised about what protesters described as a pattern of environmentally damaging infrastructure projects across the city. "Why is the government prioritising destructive projects like coastal roads and road-widening?" asked activist G R Vora, a Matunga resident. "Thousands of trees are being cut in the name of amenities. Our demand is simple-stop the destruction of Nature and relook at priorities." The demonstrators said they were dissatisfied with the high court's clearance of the project, and announced that they planned to hold agitations every week, launch a signature campaign and write to the chief minister seeking cancellation of the project. "This is devastating for our future," said Pereira. "We want more citizens to come out and speak up."...