Kanjurmarg mangrove plot is out of flamingo sanctuary buffer zone

A 52.5-hectare (ha) plot of mangroves, set aside for the expansion of the Kanjurmarg dumping ground, has been excluded from the proposed eco-sensitive zone (ESZ)

A 52.5-hectare (ha) plot of mangroves, set aside for the expansion of the Kanjurmarg dumping ground, has been excluded from the proposed eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Thane Creek flamingo sanctuary, despite the Bombay high court (HC) staying the civic body’s expansion plan last week.

HT Image

While the forest department said the 52.5-ha patch was not added to the draft ESZ as it did not meet the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) 2011 criteria of being within the high tide line (HTL) and that dumping trash there would not impact the sanctuary, environmentalists claimed the presence of mangroves there meant it is a CRZ-1 area, demanding highest protection as per law. HTL is the extent to which coastal waters can flow farthest on land.

The forest department has, however, confirmed the presence of mangroves near the plot. “We went by the HTL, which excludes this area. The sanctuary is not directly abutting this plot as there is a strip of mangroves. Garbage-dumping on this plot will not impact the sanctuary,” said N Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forest (APCCF), state mangrove cell.

Virendra Tiwari, APCCF (Mantralaya), said, “As the area was handed over to the BMC, incorporating it within the ESZ would create unnecessary issues. We were aware about this and it was left out.”

On October 29, 2018, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) got an environment clearance (EC) from the Union environment ministry, permitting scientific waste disposal on the 52.5-ha land. On Thursday, however, the Bombay HC — while hearing a petition which claimed that the 52.5-ha area forms part of the ESZ — had stayed the BMC’s plan to expand the Kanjurmarg dumping ground using the plot.

A senior civic official said, “The EC granted to us identifies this site as CRZ-III, permitting construction after the first 10m from the HTL.”

In May, the state proposed to demarcate a 3,405.99-ha area as ESZ around the 1,690-ha flamingo sanctuary. While the Centre’s final notification is awaited, the proposal kept no buffer towards the sanctuary’s northern and southern ends, home to mangroves, salt pans, and creek.

Environmentalists have criticised the exclusion of the plot in the ESZ. Satellite images showed the area had mangroves, raising concerns about leachate polluting the creek and the sanctuary. “Here’s a case where ecology is least important and provisions are made to destroy areas inside a notified sanctuary,” said Stalin D, petitioner and director, Vanashakti. “If there are mangroves inside the plot, the HTL passes through it.”

Mumbai generates 7,000 metric tonnes (MT) of waste every day, of which 5,500 MT is sent to Kanjurmarg dumpyard, while 1,500 MT is sent to Deonar.