Maharashtra village stops dumping of fly-ash, Konkan village saves mangroves

Nandgaon became national news after locals protested against illegal fly ash dumping in their farmlands

Slurry being released at Nandgaon. Credit: DH Photo

World Environment Day certainly puts into focus the enormity of the climate crisis at hand. Not ones to lose hope, these people have worked hard to make a change on the ground. Here are their stories:

First fly ash dumpsite to be shut down in 14 years

Nandgaon, a small village with a population of 800 people in Nagpur, Maharashtra, became national news after locals protested against illegal fly ash dumping in their farmlands which not only affected their livelihoods but also their health.

Villagers in Nandgaon had been cultivating for decades. In November 2021, the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company began dumping truckloads of fly ash in a neighbouring thermal power plant without the permission of people.

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This village's humanitarian crisis was first brought to light by a group of researchers and civil society members in a research study published by three organisations — the Centre for Sustainable Development, Manthan, and Asar, which looked at pollution and its impact on local communities near the two thermal power plants.

Organisations on the ground pushed local people to begin publicly recording their objections and grievances, not only to local government authorities but also to the State Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

Civil society and the government collaborated to ensure a thorough knowledge of the situation and comprehensive remedies. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board established a comprehensive prohibition on the disposal of fly ash within three months and directions for site rehabilitation were in place.

To check that things were going as planned on the ground, the Environment Minister went to the site and talked to residents. The state then launched a series of interventions for energy transition, including a study on coal phase-out, making it the first state in India to do so.

Protecting mangroves

Shweta Sachin Hule had always been fascinated by the Mandavi Creek in Vengurla in Sindhudurg of the picturesque coastal Konkan belt of Maharashtra.

She would look out at the shimmering seas and thick mangroves that sprawled across the creek, telling people how unfortunate it was that few people were aware of the location. That is, until 2017, when Shweta Hule, her husband, and a group of eight other women created the 'Swamini Mangrove Safari' in Mandavi Creek, Vengurla.

Swamini is a self-help organisation (SHG) led by Shweta Hule that engages in a variety of income-generating activities, with its main project surrounding the mangrove safari. The organisation approached Maharashtra's Mangrove Cell, which was collaborating with UNDP India on biodiversity mainstreaming in the region, and proposed a mangrove safari.

They agreed to the plan and helped get two boats and life jackets for the SHG to operate the programme.

This way they have been spreading information on the need to conserve mangroves (in English and Marathi) among tourists as well as building resilience among the local livelihood in Vengurla. The group also talks about the impacts of cyclones witnessed over the past few years and the role of mangroves in countering storm surges.