Mumbai: Expressing anguish at the all-round destruction of wetlands in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, environmentalists have asked the central government to have name the Panje wetland near Uran as a Ramsar site, to save it from being transformed into a concrete jungle. Activists are also opposing the inclusion of this wetland site in the urban development plan by the City Industrial and Development Organisation (CIDCO), as it will destroy this beautiful pond.
On World Wetlands Day, groups like NatConnect Foundation, Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan, and Save Navi Mumbai Environment as well as a fishermen’s forum, the Paaramparik Machhimar Bachao Kruti Samiti, held a joint press conference to draw attention to this issue.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat, is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the treaty was signed in 1971.
Panje, which serves as a destination for hundreds of native and migratory birds, has been constantly under threat, with the latest one being its inclusion in the urban development plan by the city planner and government-owned CIDCO, activists have alleged.
The groups also expressed distress at the recent findings by Wetlands International South Asia, which states that Mumbai has lost a maximum of 71 per cent of wetlands between 1970 and 2014. The wetland loss was a result of the increase in built-up area to 1,074 sqkm from 149 sqkm, stated the study.
“It is in this context that we seek the inclusion of the 289-hectare Panje on the Ramsar list, which embodies the government’s commitment to take the steps necessary to ensure that its ecological character is maintained,” said BN Kumar, director of the not-for-profit NatConnect Foundation.
Despite CIDCO declaring Panje as a holding pond, a flood control mechanism for the upcoming Dronagiri node, it has earmarked the wetland for real estate development as part of a Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone (NMSEZ). Ironically, CIDCO is a 26 per cent shareholder in the NMSEZ promoted by Reliance, Jaicorp and SKIL groups.
Scrap NMSEZ, demand locals
"NMSEZ projects across 1,250 hectares should be scrapped immediately, as the illegal landfill is causing floods in Uran. As many as 20 villages out of 27, were submerged during the last monsoon. Further reclamation will definitely lead to flooding in the entire Uran taluka," pointed out Nandakumar Pawar, head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan.
"Much of Uran, supposed to be the largest coastal wetlands of Maharashtra, has been turned into a mere dust bowl. The local fishing community and 26 villages are paying the price for relentless development that is destroying the ecological balance. Fishermen’s livelihoods and their lives are under threat," said Tukaram Koli of the Paaramparik Machhimar Bachao Kruti Samiti.
