Environmental activists and nature enthusiasts in Navi Mumbai are celebrating the Supreme Court's landmark order on December 11, 2024, extending protection to existing wetlands and covering additional wetlands across the country. The court directed state wetland authorities to demarcate and conduct ground truthing for all 2.31 lakh wetlands over 2.25 hectares, mapped by ISRO, within the next three months.

The order, issued in response to a PIL filed by Anand Arya, a Greater Noida-based birder and environmentalist, along with Advocate M.K. Balakrishnan and NGO Vanashakti, is a significant boost to the fight for wetland conservation. The Supreme Court Bench expanded the scope of protection to around 30,000 additional wetlands, supplementing the 201,503 wetlands safeguarded by a 2017 order.

Activists in Navi Mumbai, who have been battling to save the NRI and TS Chanakya wetlands, hailed the judgment as a pivotal moment for the preservation of habitats vital to migratory birds and aquatic life. These ecosystems, they argue, have often been neglected by state authorities.

Sunil Agarwal, founder of the Save Navi Mumbai Environment group and convenor of Wetlands Champion, expressed optimism about the impact of the order on local conservation efforts. “This is excellent news for our NRI and TS Chanakya wetlands, as well as all other wetlands mapped by ISRO in 2021,” he said. “Although this was not our petition, the judgment strengthens our case, ensuring that these wetlands cannot be reclaimed for purposes like golf courses or residential towers.”

Both the NRI wetland, spanning 22 hectares, and the TS Chanakya wetland, covering 14 hectares, fall under the scope of the Supreme Court’s 2017 and 2024 orders. Agarwal highlighted the lack of action by most state governments in ground truthing and demarcation, with only Punjab and Assam making notable progress. He emphasized that the new order compels states and Union Territories to prioritize wetland protection.

Wetlands, as defined by Ramsar Sites, are “areas of marsh, fen, peatland, or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish, or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters.”