The duo that keeps Uran safe from reclamation
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) after persistent complaints by the duo. “I educated myself on the importance of mangroves and wetlands and toured Uran and other areas to understand the ground reality,” said Pawar, who is heading Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP), an environmental group fighting for the rights of the fishing community across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Two weeks ago, the Raigad district administration admitted that 20 villages in Uran were flooded this year during monsoon, affecting 1,236 families, as a result of mangrove and wetland destruction. “We have been experiencing floods frequently, yet we do not realise the importance of protecting mangroves and wetlands,” said Pawar.
The state’s coastal authority declared Panje and Karanje wetlands in Uran under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) I, the highest protection zone under the CRZ notification, after Pawar filed a petition before the Bombay high court.
Through a series of petitions filed by Pawar and followed up through right to information (RTI) responses from the state, and submitted as affidavits before courts, the duo has made it their mission now to ensure areas with migratory birds congregation are notified as wetlands and mangrove swamps as reserved forests
“Mangroves also serve as a breeding ground for a variety of marine life and they are the first form of defence against storm surges. In the climate change scenario we now live in, we will continue the fight to protect nature ,” said Kumar, director of Natconnect Foundation.