As India braces itself for Cyclone Amphan in the middle of a pandemic, let us remember that our very first line of defence against cyclones, mangroves, are under threat from both the Central and State governments. Some of these threats are the MoEFCC's ill-conceived policy of waiving EIAs for onshore oil and gas exploration, its draft EIA which will do away with clearance regulations for various projects along the coasts at the cost of mangroves, and unplanned development and construction along coasts by various state governments by clearing mangroves.
