Mumbai's 200-week protest to save Aarey Forest defies monsoon rains

Mumbai’s 'Sundays For Aarey' movement has reached a significant milestone. The campaign, aiming to protect the city’s last urban forest, marked 200 consecutive weeks of protest on Sunday. Despite heavy monsoon rain, activists gathered at Birsa Munda Chowk in Aarey Milk Colony to voice their demands. The fight to save Aarey began around 2010, with public opposition growing stronger in 2014. This was when plans for a Metro car shed project threatened the forest. The first 'Sundays For Aarey' protest took place on 3 July 2022, and the weekly demonstrations have continued without interruption since then.

Aarey spans roughly 3,162 acres and hosts diverse wildlife, including leopards, deer, and many plant species. Rusi Nariman, a 79-year-old protester, warned that the forest is under threat from all directions. He stressed that the movement supports development but refuses to accept it at the expense of nature.

Activists are now calling for Aarey to be declared a 'No Development Zone'. Reshma Shelatkar described the campaign as possibly the longest continuous effort of its kind to protect an urban forest. The movement has maintained its momentum for nearly four years. Its demand for legal protection of Aarey remains unchanged. Supporters continue to push for the preservation of Mumbai’s green lung.