Nearly 10,000 mangroves in Uran have been found regenerating naturally, a development environmentalists describe as both encouraging and alarming.
The spontaneous revival has renewed scrutiny over the failure of multiple government agencies to enforce Bombay High Court mandated protections for coastal wetlands, especially in zones where mangroves were allegedly buried illegally.
According to activists, mangrove destruction at two key locations inside NMSEZ at Pagote and along the NH-348 expansion stretch continued unchecked for years. With tidal water now reclaiming these areas, young mangrove clusters have emerged on their own, exposing what activists say is a systemic governance breakdown.
“This comeback is purely nature’s doing. No government department can take credit,” said B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation. “Violations take place openly, yet action is delayed or completely ignored. That is the real concern.”
Environmental groups recalled that over six acres of mangroves at the Pagote site were buried under debris during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when enforcement machinery was stretched thin. Multiple complaints were filed, but activists say the response remained negligible despite a High Court order mandating strict protection for mangroves.
Debris dumping reportedly stopped only after officials returned from election duty, but subsequent instructions issued to CIDCO and the Raigad collector to clear the rubble never resulted in on-ground action.
“It is only after tidal waters forced their way back that the area began healing,” said Nandakumar Pawar of Sagar Shakti. He added that the lush green cover visible today is “nature’s intervention, not official restoration.”
A similar pattern was stated to have been observed in 2018 when NH-348 construction works choked tidal channels, killing thousands of mangroves. Despite assurances, no punitive action was taken against the contractor responsible.
Only after NatConnect escalated the complaint to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari were the blocked channels gradually reopened, enabling natural regeneration.
Today, both Pagote and NH-348 is observed to be showing striking mangrove resurgence. But environmentalists warn that this visual recovery must not overshadow the underlying failures.
“This revival cannot erase the fact that large-scale ecological damage occurred because authorities did not do what they were mandated to do,” Kumar said. “If violators are not penalised, High Court orders become meaningless.”
Experts stress that mangroves are a frontline defence for coastal towns like Uran, protecting against flooding, erosion, storm surges, and aiding climate resilience through carbon sequestration.
The renewed growth, activists say, is a reminder that nature will attempt to heal, but damage will continue unless authorities enforce environmental laws decisively.
“Regeneration is reassuring, but it is not an excuse,” Pawar said. “The government must hold those who destroyed mangroves accountable — protection must come before, not after, the devastation.”
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