Navi Mumbai: The 289-hectare Panje-Dongari wetland in Uran, regarded by environmentalists as Maharashtra’s largest intertidal wetland, has moved a significant step closer to securing legal protection after the Raigad district administration completed a long-awaited ground verification process, environmental groups said. The development is being seen as a major milestone in the years-long campaign by conservationists to protect the ecologically sensitive wetland from reclamation and infrastructure-related pressures. The verification is part of the process required before wetlands can be formally notified under the Environment (Protection) Act. According to the NatConnect Foundation, the verification follows documentation by the Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), which has completed the ground-truthing of nearly all the 23,000 wetlands identified across Maharashtra under the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment (NWIA), prepared using 2006-07 satellite imagery. Environmentalists have repeatedly criticised the delay in completing the verification and notification process in the state. Rising Hopes A senior official of the State Wetland Authority, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Raigad Collector has cleared 11 of the 19 wetlands documented by NCSCM in the district, including the Panje wetland. The wetlands at Belpada and Bhendkhal have also reportedly progressed towards notification, raising hopes for their long-term conservation. The list approved by the Collector also includes wetlands in Panvel taluka at Kharghar, Taloja, Kharghar Sector 25, Kalamboli, Sinkar and Morave. However, government officials said wetlands at Sheva, Jaskhar, Murud Creek and the Mangrove Wetland Complex do not feature in the Collector’s current documents, leaving questions over their status. The Panje wetland has been at the centre of a prolonged legal and environmental battle. The Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) founder and noted environmentalist Debi Goenka had earlier demonstrated, using the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment maps, that Panje qualified as a wetland despite claims to the contrary. “BEAG founder and noted environmentalist Debi Goenka was among the first to demonstrate, using the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment (NWIA) maps, that Panje qualified as a wetland despite claims to the contrary. His painstaking interpretation of the colour-coded satellite atlas greatly strengthened our case for Panje’s conservation,” said B N Kumar, Director, NatConnect Foundation. Happy Activists Welcoming the latest development, Nandakumar Pawar, Director of Sagar Shakti, who has led a prolonged legal battle to protect the wetland, said, “The 289-hectare Panje wetland is the largest intertidal wetland in the state. Its conservation is critical for protecting Uran’s fragile ecology.” Kumar described the verification as a vindication of sustained public efforts. “Panje has shown that persistence pays,” he said, while Pawar added that the focus must now shift towards securing legal protection for all of Maharashtra’s 23,000 mapped wetlands before they are lost to encroachment and development. Pawar warned that the destruction and reclamation of several wetlands in Uran, including the four-kilometre Jasai stretch, have already aggravated flooding in surrounding villages. He said extensive landfilling for the Dronagiri Node and other infrastructure projects has further worsened the ecological situation. The Collector’s report assumes significance amid continued opposition from CIDCO, which has maintained that several of these areas are former salt pans or agricultural land and are therefore suitable for development. Environmental groups, however, argue that irrespective of their historical land use, these ecosystems now perform critical ecological functions and deserve statutory protection. According to Kumar, although Panje—currently leased to NMSEZ, now NMIIA—has remained free from construction activity, the regular obstruction of tidal water flow causes the wetland to dry up periodically, threatening its ecological health. Environmental organisations including Vanashakti, Sagar Shakti, NatConnect Foundation, Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society, Save Navi Mumbai Environment and Kharghar Wetlands & Hills Forum have been pursuing legal and administrative interventions to secure protection for the wetlands. Highlighting their ecological importance, Pawar said wetlands not only support rich biodiversity but also serve as natural flood buffers, store significant amounts of carbon and sustain the livelihoods of traditional fishing communities. He stressed that notifying these wetlands is essential for strengthening the climate resilience of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
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