Residents determined to prove Kharghar pond is wetland

Residents from Sector 19 have created WhatsApp group to share documents and findings on the pond

Residents of Sector 18 and 19 in Kharghar, who have been fighting to save the Murbi Talav from debris dumpers, and already have a high court stay order, are collecting evidence to prove that the pond is part of the wetland. Officials will inspect the pond soon.

Murbi Talav is located between Sector 18 and 19. (Bachchan Kumar)

The initiative to save the pond was taken by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Abhivyakti, whose team members are studying how the pond is classified under the wetland.

In the first week of June, the Kharghar residents filed a public interest litigation against debris dumpers. The high court stayed the order and instructed the collector that an officer not below the rank of a tehsildar should inspect the area under police protection and submit the report. The next hearing is scheduled for July.

Nareshchandra Singh, founder member of Abhivyakti, said, “Nobody has come for inspection yet. We are not hurrying the authorities but using the time to collect evidence about the pond so that our case is strong during the final hearing.”

The residents from Sector 19 have created a WhatsApp group to share any documents and findings on the pond. They have also written to authorities for help and are using satellite images of the area to back their case.

Pramod Patil, nodal officer for the environment and forest department of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), said, “Dumping in the pond has been stopped. We will stick to the court order.”

Tripta Sharma, 75, a resident of Sector 19, said, “This is just the beginning as we are fighting against authorities and it is necessary to strengthen our case. Our advocate too is taking interest in collecting evidence about the pond and how 75% of the pond was lost. We are talking to people to obtain images and evidence.”

“We are studying other similar cases in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. We know that this is a natural water body and has been here for a long time,” said Chandra B Pandey, 52, a resident of Sector 19.