In a significant development, the wetlands of Panje, NRI Complex, TS Chanakya, Lotus Lake, and Kharghar in Navi Mumbai’s Flamingo City have been identified among the 564 wetlands surveyed by the Maharashtra Government, according to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This contradicts CIDCO’s strong opposition to environmentalists’ efforts to protect these wetlands, the NatConnect Foundation, which received the information, reported.
The Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change Ministry has entrusted the Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) with mapping and preparing comprehensive documentation of the state’s wetlands. The study is ongoing.
This information is crucial for the conservation of key wetlands that environmental groups such as Vanashakti, Sagar Shakti, NatConnect, Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society, Save Navi Mumbai Environment, and Kharghar Wetland Hills have long fought to protect.
“With this study report, we are confident that our vital wetlands are safe, as the identification, mapping, and documentation are key to their conservation,” said NatConnect Director B. N. Kumar. He emphasized that the next step is to officially notify the wetlands.
Kumar sought details from the Environment Ministry regarding the survey and whether wetlands in Uran and Nerul were included in the NCSCM’s mapping. The State Mangrove Cell had expressed interest in conserving these wetlands under the Wildlife Protection Act, but CIDCO dismissed the idea, claiming these areas were originally salt pans or farmlands, and therefore suitable for development, Kumar noted.
Panje wetland has been leased to NMSEZ (now NMIIA), in which CIDCO holds a 26% stake. Although no construction is taking place, the wetland often dries out as the intertidal water flow is blocked by vested interests, Kumar said in his complaints to the Government.
According to the RTI response, NCSCM has completed the survey of 564 wetlands across eight districts since March this year, including Nagpur (71), Gonda (43), Bhandara (31), Palghar (8), Raigad (18), Thane (19), Chandrapur (46), and Sindhudurg. In Pune district, 265 wetlands have been surveyed, with the process still ongoing.
“We are pleased with the state’s swift response and its commitment to protect the wetlands, as mandated by the Supreme Court,” Kumar stated.
Environmental groups Vanashakti and Sagar Shakti had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court to save Panje. NMEPS and Save Navi Mumbai Environment have been involved in a prolonged legal battle to protect the NRI and TS Chanakya wetlands.
Sagarshakti head Nandakumar expressed happiness that Panje wetland will now be protected but lamented that other major wetlands in Uran—Bhendkhal, Sonari, Savarkhar, and Belpada—were not included in the NCSCM survey. These wetlands have already been heavily landfilled.
Wetlands serve as vital natural flood mitigation mechanisms, carbon sinks, and provide livelihoods for the fishing community, said Pawar, president of the Small Scale Fishermen Union. However, the survey does include wetlands like Bori Bokarwadi, Khopte, Sheva, and Karal, which is a positive sign, Pawar added.
In Panvel Taluka, the wetlands of Kharghar, Taloja, Kharghar-Sector 25, Kalamboli, Sinkar, and Morave are also part of the NCSCM list.
However, Kharghar Wetlands and Hills convenors Jyoti Nadkarni and Naresh Chandra Singh pointed out that the Kharghar wetlands surveyed by the Chennai team are already under threat due to the construction of the coastal road. Despite CIDCO’s denial, Nadkarni stated that the road construction violates environmental clearance norms.