Thane: Mangroves and wetlands near Ulhas River under siege

Huge landfills visible alongside the Ulhas River. Pics/Ranjeet Jadhav

As climate change intensifies, the need to protect mangroves and wetlands has never been more urgent. However, in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's district, near the Ulhas River and alongside the Mumbai-Nashik highway, government agencies appear to be overlooking the issue of extensive illegal dumping on wetlands and mangroves.

On Saturday, while this reporter was travelling towards Nashik on the Mumbai-Nashik highway between Thane and Kalyan, a significant amount of illegal dumping was seen next to the Ulhas River along the northbound side of the highway.

What is shocking is the fact that the mangroves and the wetlands adjacent to the Ulhas River are vanishing but there has been no action initiated. Time and again environmentalists and nature lovers have been highlighting the destruction of mangroves and wetlands in the Thane district, along with the threat that Ulhas River has been facing.

The landfills threaten the mangrove ecosystem

We also observed that illegal dumping, including construction materials, was occurring on one side of the river. This dumping could reduce the river's width in the future and potentially lead to flooding. The debris piled up is equivalent to a two-story building, yet the authorities are allegedly ignoring the issue. Thane-based environmentalist Rohit Joshi has also received complaints about this and has informed government authorities, but no action has been taken.

"This is outrageous! Illegal dumping destroys these vital ecosystems and pollutes the Ulhas River directly, affecting India's only notified Flamingo Sanctuary at Thane creek. I complained about this issue last year to the Wetland Committee but no action has been taken against the culprits. We need stricter enforcement to protect our mangroves and wetlands", said Rohit Joshi, member of, Wetland & Mangroves Grievance Redressal Committee, Thane.

If we take a look at the satellite images from Google Earth between 2021 to 2024, one can see the rampant destruction of mangroves and wetlands that has taken place due to the illegal dumping of construction material debris by the land mafia. In May this year, environmentalist Stalin D also complained about the same to the Thane collector, municipal commissioner of Thane, Mangroves Cell of the forest department, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the Tehsildar office.

Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti said, "In Thane district, extensive CRZ violations are occurring. Over 100 hectares of mangroves, wetlands, and CRZ 1 areas are being buried under debris, mud, and garbage. This is happening in broad daylight, right under the noses of the revenue department, police department, forest department, and others. It is a clear case of corruption enabling this massive destruction to continue. The Thane Collector is primarily responsible for allowing this to persist for months despite repeated notifications. No action has been taken. It would not be incorrect to say that vested interests within the government have facilitated this destruction."

The dumping is reportedly happening on Sarkari Khazan lands (salt marshes), creeks all have been landfilled here, and well as the nearby coastal wetland areas. From the Kharegaon side of the creek, one can see a massive tableland created on the opposite side near Dive Anjur.

"Every location near and within the creeks is being reclaimed while the government machinery looks the other way. The Thane Collector's office, Thane Municipal Corporation, the local police station, and the Thane Forest Division of the Mangrove Cell are all jointly responsible for allowing this to happen," added Stalin.

The activist also said that the role of the police station is also circumspect especially when they are also members of the protection committees and alleged that this is a classic case of large-scale corruption and gross negligence by certain officials.