Mumbai: Over a week after locals raised an alarm over the leakage of industrial effluents into the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS), officials of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) on Monday said that they are working on priority to resolve the issue.
Hindustan Times had reported on May 21 that an offshore pipeline carrying treated industrial waste from the MIDC’s Trans-Thane Creek (TTC) campus at Pawne, Navi Mumbai, has ruptured and is discharging its contents into the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, a protected wetland under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
The leak was first observed by environmentalist Stalin D and Harish Sutar, a local fisherman, on May 20.
Though MIDC officials refuted their claim at the time, they made an about-face on Monday after viewing the video evidence of the leak captured by Stalin earlier in the day.
MIDC’s deputy engineer at its TTC campus, RT Meshram, told HT, “There is clearly some discharge of pollutants happening in the area. I have seen the video in which the effluent is visible on the surface of the water. I am having the pipeline inspected on priority and will aim to fix it at the earliest. We are also checking if there is some other offshore pipeline nearby which may have ruptured. “
The pipeline in question has been operational since 2021 and was built to replace a 25-year-old channel to carry effluents from a common treatment plant in Mahape into the deep sea, beyond the limit of Thane Creek, where it is discharged at an appropriate location depending on the capacity of the area to dilute the effluents.
When initially contacted by HT on May 21, an MIDC official said, “There is no leak from the pipeline. It is a high-density polyethylene vessel which requires concrete blocks to be held down. Some blocks have broken, and the alignment of the pipeline has shifted. A portion of it is visible above the surface of the water at high tide, but there is no leak.”
Environmentalists, however, pointed out that even if treated as per discharge standards, industries cannot simply release effluents within the boundary of a protected area. The Wildlife Act clearly states that no party can destroy the habitat of any wild animal, in this case, flamingoes and other migratory birds, through any activity except with the written sanction of the wildlife department.
“What’s worrying here is that despite being alerted to the violation, MIDC gave itself a clean chit and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) simply took their word that there is no leak in the pipeline. They have not informed me of any site visit, nor has any action yet been taken against the MIDC for polluting the environment. Violators giving themselves clean chits, and regulatory authorities are failing in their duty to keep them in check,” said Stalin D.
Despite multiple attempts, MIDC CEO P Anbalagan could not be reached for comment. Officials in the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), including joint director Yashwant Sontakke and regional officer (Navi Mumbai) DB Patil, did not respond to requests for comment from HT on Monday. They had earlier directed inquiries to MIDC officials.
The forest department, which is responsible for enforcing the mandate of the Wildlife Act in Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, has also not yet initiated any action in the matter despite saying that it would make necessary investigations. “If there is indeed a leak, we will take action against the erring authority. I have asked our officers to check it out,” Adarsh Reddy, district forest officer, Thane, had said to HT on May 21.
Though Reddy did not respond to HT on Monday, Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests and mangrove cell, told HT over text that an inquiry into the matter is still underway. “Necessary action will be taken as per provisions of the (Wildlife) Act,” he said.