The practice of growing vegetables on the land along Mumbai railway tracks is on its way out. The railways now plan to use the land for horticulture and beautify the tracks, giving the local commuters an aesthetic feel of the city. It has earmarked 150 acres in 115 locations covering 125 stations for this project. Over time, the railway will do away with vegetable farming being practiced now and redeem the 260 acres to use it for horticulture.
There have been reports of drain and sewage water being used to irrigate vegetable farms along railway tracks, causing serious health risks to consumers. During its heyday, these farms produced green vegetables such as carrots, radishes, spinach and other green leafy vegetables. These vegetable farms are located between Goregaon-Jogeshwari on Western line, Dadar-Parel on Central line, and Panvel on Harbour line. Other areas include Kalyan, Dombivali, Bhandup, Vikhroli, Kurla, Parel, Andheri, Juinagar, Belapur, Nerul, Jogeshwari, Malad, Borivali and Kalwa.
The railway department has been under considerable pressure to discontinue leasing land for farming as vegetables grown here enter the broader Mumbai market and endanger of unsuspecting consumers. In fact, a high court specifically directed the railways to address the grievances in this connection, leading to discontinuation of vegetable farming on lands along some Navi Mumbai railway stations. According to the documents submitted to the court, vegetables grown on these farms were found to have harmful chemicals including cadmium, zinc, chromium, lead, cobalt, and arsenic.
In a ruling, the Bombay High Court ordered the railways to stop using sewage water to grow vegetables on land next to railway tracks in Mumbai. The court took cognizance of reports that vegetables grown here with sewage water were found to contain high levels of heavy metals like zinc, cadmium, lead, cobalt, and chromium, exceeding safe limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). This poses health risks to consumers.
Read more at thenorthlines.com