NGT tells collector to stop eco damage at Wadala lake

Mumbai: The National Green Tribunal's western zone has come down heavily on the Mumbai collector over the casual approach in filing an affidavit reply on the issue of environmental damage done to the Wadala saltwater lake Coastal Regulation Zone-I (CRZ) near Eastern Freeway.
The NGT bench of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Vijay Kulkarni, in their March 19 order, also warned that they may summon the collector to be present in person if all the remedial measures are not undertaken in this case filed by NGO Vanashakti in 2024.
The bench was particularly irked over the fact that the collector's office submitted its affidavit reply in Marathi twice, and did not attach English translations, which is mandatory under the NGT (Practices and Procedure) Rules of 2011.
Vanashakti director D Stalin, who is also a member of the high court-appointed wetlands protection committee, told TOI: "We had filed a complaint application before the Coastal Zone Monitoring Committee in 2019 about the constant degradation and reclamation of the CRZ-1 area close to the Wadala end of Eastern Freeway. We continued to pursue this complaint before moving to the NGT in 2024, since the state govt did not do much to stop the debris dumping and encroachment into Wadala saltwater lake. We hope that at least now some action is taken after the NGT has sent out a warning."
TOI, in Sept 2024, had reported how this eco-sensitive zone in Wadala, which is as big as 1.5 football fields (1.76 acres), is witnessing massive destruction and reclamation, mainly due to its proximity to the Freeway entry-exit points as it has enhanced the real estate value of the land there.
"An illegal truck parking has been created on this CRZ site, while the Wadala waterbody continues to be targeted by encroachers," said Stalin. "Ironically, the only formal action taken by the govt on my complaint in 2019, when I myself caught a dumper dumping debris there, has been attached as an affidavit before the NGT. And, a fine of only Rs 500 was slapped on the violator for ‘trespassing'." He said if tough measures are not undertaken now, the entire saltwater lake and remaining mangroves will also disappear.