Environmentalists Urge Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis To Expedite Legal Protection Of Over 23,000 Wetlands Amid Climate Concerns

Navi Mumbai: Environmentalists on Friday urged Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to expedite the long-pending legal protection of more than 23,000 wetlands across the state, warning that continued delays are worsening biodiversity loss and increasing climate vulnerability.

23,404 Wetlands Verified

The appeal was made on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed annually on May 22, with green activists stressing that Maharashtra’s wetlands play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, mitigating floods and combating climate change.

According to environmental groups, the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has completed documentation and ground verification of 23,404 out of Maharashtra’s 23,415 identified wetlands, with only 11 wetlands in Pune district still pending field verification. Activists said the state government should now immediately notify the wetlands under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules and grant them legal protection.

Natural Carbon Sinks at Risk

B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, said wetlands serve as critical habitats for migratory birds, fish breeding grounds, mangroves, amphibians and several fragile ecosystems that support both biodiversity and local livelihoods. He warned that wetlands also function as natural carbon sinks, absorb floodwaters, recharge groundwater and reduce the impact of climate change and recurring El Niño conditions.

Kumar said ecologically sensitive regions such as Uran and parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region had already suffered extensive environmental damage due to debris dumping, encroachments and large-scale reclamation activities. “This process should never have dragged on for 16 years after the launch of the National Wetland Atlas. With the verification exercise now almost complete, the government must immediately notify these wetlands and secure them under law,” he said.

Wetlands Are Climate Regulators

Environmentalists said wetlands across Maharashtra include marshes, estuaries, mangroves, creeks, lakes and floodplains that act as biodiversity hotspots and natural climate regulators. They cautioned that destruction of these ecosystems weakens the state’s resilience against extreme weather events such as erratic rainfall, cloudbursts and prolonged dry spells linked to climate change.

Nandakumar Pawar, director of Sagarshakti, said the impact of wetland destruction was already visible in Uran and neighbouring coastal belts. “The burial of wetlands has triggered repeated flooding and forced authorities to spend crores from taxpayers’ money as compensation. These wetlands would have naturally protected the region had they been preserved in time,” he said.

Activists said the NCSCM verification exercise gained momentum after petitions filed by Vanashakti and subsequent directions from the Supreme Court directing states to complete wetland demarcation and protection within a fixed timeframe.

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