Maharashtra's Panje, NRI wetlands safe: RTI

Navi Mumbai: In a significant development, the wetlands of Panje, NRI complex, TS Chanakya, Lotus Lake and Kharghar in the Flamingo City of Navi Mumbai have figured among the 564 wetlands identified and surveyed by the Maharashtra Government, information obtained under Right To Information (RTI) Act shows.

The Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change Ministry has assigned the Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) to map and prepare comprehensive documentation of the state’s wetlands and the study is still on.

The information is key to the conservation of the key wetlands which environmental forums such as Vanashakti, Sagar Shakti, NatConnect, Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society, Save Navi Mumbai Environment and Kharghar Wetland Hills have been fighting for.

“With the study report, we are sure that our key wetlands are safe since the identification, mapping and documentation are key to the conservation,” said NatConnect Director B N Kumar. The next obvious step is to notify the wetlands.

Kumar sought information from the environment ministry seeking details of the survey and whether the wetlands in Uran and Nerul are covered by the NCSCM.

The State Mangrove Cell had in fact, showed its interest to conserve these wetlands under the Wildlife Protection Act but CIDCO had brushed aside the idea on the pretext that these are originally salt pans or farm lands and hence are developable land parcels, Kumar pointed out.

As per the RTI response, the NCSCM has so far completed the survey of 564 wetlands across eight districts since March this year covering Nagpur (71), Gonda (43), Bhandara (31), Palghar (8), Raigad (18), Thane (19), Chandrapur (46) and Sindhudurg, the information obtained by NatConnect Foundation shows. In Pune district the organisation has covered 265 wetlands so far and the process is still on.

“We are happy that the state has responded quickly and it will take the steps to protect the wetlands as mandated by the Supreme Court,” Kumar said.

Vanashakti and Sagar Shakti had moved the Bombay High Court to save Panje. NMEPS and Save Navi Mumbai Environment have been waging a prolonged legal battle to save the NRI and TS Chanakya wetlands

Expressing his happiness that Panje wetland will be safe, Sagarshakti head Nandakumar regretted that the major wetlands of Uran – Bhendkhal, Sonari, Savarkhar and Belpada – are not covered by the NCSCM study. These four water bodies have already been majorly landfilled.

Wetlands not only serve as the natural flood mitigation mechanism, but also act as carbon sinks and provide livelihood to the fishing community, Pawar who also heads the president of Small Scale Fishermen Union, said.

But apart from Panje, the wetlands of Bori Bokarwadi, Khopte, Sheva and Karal are covered by the survey which is a welcome sign, Pawar said.

As regards Panvel Taluka, the wetlands of Kharghar, Taloja, Kharghar-Sector 25, Kalamboli, Sinkar and Morave are part of the NCSCM list.

Kharghar Wetlands and Hills convenors Jyoti Nadkarni and Naresh Chandra Singh said the Kharghar wetlands surveyed by the Chennai centre’s team are already under attack with the construction of the coastal road.

Notwithstanding the CIDCO denial, the ground reality is that the road construction is violating the environmental clearance norms, Nadkarni pointed out.