Mumbai Coastal Road project ‘maladaptive’: latest IPCC report

MUMBAI’S MULTI-CRORE Coastal Road, a pet project of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray that promises to provide uninterrupted connectivity from South Mumbai to the congested western suburbs, has been called ‘maladaptive’ by the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Released this Monday, the sixth assessment report talks about climate change impacts, risks and vulnerabilities, and adaptation options. It states that infrastructural interventions can sometimes be maladaptive (not adjusting adequately or appropriately to the environment or situation.) when assessed over longer periods; e.g., the Mumbai Coastal Road (MCR) project aimed at reducing flood risk and protecting against sea level rise will cause damage to inter-tidal fauna and flora and local fishing livelihoods.