Maha CM steps in as greens call to save Pandavkada waterfalls as eco-tourism spot

Navi Mumbai: Responding to green activists’ demand to conserve the Pandavkada waterfalls at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai as an ecological tourism destination, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the state Tourism department to look into the issue.

Pandavkada Falls has a height of 107 meters – 30 metres taller than the Qutub Minar- and enjoys a mythological significance as it is believed that Pandavas bathed and rested there during their exile.

With a group of monsoon revellers getting stuck on the Pandavkada Hills recently, activists have stepped up their campaign to develop the area as an ecotourism and water conservation project and sent an email to Fadnavis.

Many adventure sports enthusiasts keep going up round the year and water sports lovers venture into the waterfalls during the monsoon and they cannot be stopped, NatConnect Foundation said.

“We are happy that the CM has responded to our plea and asked Atul Patne, State Principal Secretary-Tourism, to take the suggestion further,” Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of Kharghar Hilland Wetlands forum, said.

NatConnect director B N Kumar said the activists would follow up via the RTI Act route to pursue the matter.

An earlier proposal to develop Pandavkada Hills as an ecotourism spot was relegated to cold storage mysteriously by the forest department and the officials remain unconcerned over the safety of the people, Kumar lamented.

“For long time, we have been requesting CIDCO and the forest department to regulate the entry to the waterfalls with proper security checks,” Kumar said and wondered as to why the people are made to risk their lives.

The Forest department has even built a wall, a ticketing counter, and a changing room at the waterfalls and these are all seem to be wasted, Nadkarni said.

The activists have recently approached Forest Minister Ganesh Naik with the idea of properly developing Pandavkada and he promised to take it up, Kumar recalled. “It is high time that the government should consider the issue seriously,” he said.

“Monsoon revelers are forced to crowd at Lonavla-Khandala and Malshej ghats to enjoy the waterfalls when we have such beautiful falls at Pandavkada,” Kumar argued.

The water flowing from the hills goes straight into the sea, NatConnect said and asked: “why can’t the government plan a holding pond and recycle the water for the waterfalls during the non-monsoon months”.

Rainwater harvesting can also be done along the Kharghar hills and the contiguous stretch of Belapur and even Pasik Hills, Kumar said.

The activists appealed to the government to revive the nature park project on the Belapur-Kharghar hill range and develop Navi Mumbai as an eco-tourism destination.

“The city is blessed with mangroves, wetlands, flamingos, hills, waterfalls, apart from the creeks which all can add up as an excellent eco-tourism destination,” Kumar pointed out.

In this connection, the activists called upon the Chief Minister to urgently call for a coordination meeting with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, BNHS, CIDCO, NMMC, the forest department, police and the local environmentalists.

The activists have also launched a digital campaign and floated an online petition to the CM.