Navigation

Vashi2Panvel.Com: Navi Mumbai: February 22: It is Tuesday morning on a high-rise apartment on the Palm Beach Road. As one waits in the drawing room expecting a veteran with a ‘teacher’ like feel about her, Kamini Gopal strolls into the room dressed in a casual black tee and a jeans skirt, and all stereotypes are broken. An environmentalist and an avid nature lover, she is not only bowled over by the beauties of nature but is also actively involved in campaigning for various issues as a member of the BNHS(Bombay natural History Association) Navi Mumbai Chapter. We chat with her to get to know about what issues are facing the environmental health of Navi Mumbai… How did you get involved in environmental activities?

I did my M.Sc. in Ecology from Pondicherry. Then for 10 years I did research on wildlife biology, primarily on birds. Then I moved on to designing environment friendly knick knacks and T-shirts with messages about nature. Then I did a stint in eco tourism putting together nature camps and tours for children and adults. Now after coming to Navi Mumbai(She was in Chennai earlier), I’m freelancing and doing a lot of birding with the Navi Mumbai Chapter.

Any current projects that you can tell us about?

Ya. Right now the BNHS Navi Mumbai Chapter is trying to set up an educational center in Belapur just like the one at Goregaon so that people here can also get the same kind of resources like the people of Mumbai. We are mostly aiming at creating an interest for environment amongst children.

Now that Navi Mumbai is doing extremely well in the real estate market, lot of construction and building activities are happening. How is that affecting the environment here?

These activities are happening by reclaiming the marsh lands on which mangroves thrive. These areas are the home of migratory birds coming from all over the world during winters. So by destroying the marshes, we are destroying their habitats. Then there is a problem of garbage disposal. Where will the tons of waste go? The sewage, these builders claim is all underground. But in reality most of the tanks underground have pipes connecting them to the nearest water body. There is a problem of electricity, water supply. Aren’t these enough?

What is your take on the plastic ban?

If you ask me that, the ban doesn’t make sense at all. Because a plastic is a plastic, whatever the thickness be. Do they mean to say that a 400 micron plastic won’t clog the drains and is bio degradable? Oh no. Instead of the ban, the concentration should be on recycling because the only way to prevent pollution by plastic is to see that they are recycled.

How would you rate the general environmental health of Navi Mumbai?

Average but going down. We are really trying to be another Mumbai in spite of seeing the consequences the poor city is facing.

What issues are you currently actively involved in?

There are a whole lot of issues. One is the treatment of snakes. We try and put up banners before Nag Panchmi because it is thought that by feeding the snake some milk they are worshipping them, but in reality snakes don’t drink milk. And also only on the day of the festival snakes are revered, the other days the moment they spot a snake, they want it to be killed. Like whenever snakes are spotted around this place the security guards call me because they know that I rescue the snakes and let them into the wild. Just the other day I heard about a society where the watchman had become a hero for having killed a cobra. But all they had to do is was to call the fire department. They would have rescued the poor animal. Similarly, we heard that people in Koperkhairane were stoning owls as they think they are a bad omen, but if you start killing snakes and owls, it is better not to complain about the increasing rats in your homes.

Another issue is of the disappearing mangroves. With construction all around, the mangroves are fast disappearing. While campaigning for the issue, there was no single authority who we could talk to. The NMMC, who is in charge of the civic health passes the buck on to CIDCO which says that the mangroves are under the Forest Department of Thane district. The FD is busy tackling issues in other areas of Thane and doesn’t mind whatever is happening here.

Navi Mumbai has a lot of lakes and water bodies, but they are also not taken care of by the authorities. Has your group done anything about them?

Well, we haven’t got around to that issue but there is one thing we do every year during Ganpati. We talk to people about how immersing the idols in lakes is causing them harm because these days idols are not made of clay only but contain plaster of paris, thermocole, plastic, paints and lot of non bio degradable stuff. In olden days it was ok because the clay that was used from the water bed was returned by immersing the idols.

The Sewri Nhava Sheva Link has caused lot of unrest in Mumbai. It is also being promoted as beneficial for Navi Mumbaikars. And environmental hazards there?

In Mumbai they will destroy the home of migratory flamingoes, an endangered species. We still don’t know about where exactly the link will pass from Navi Mumbai. The authorities are a little dodgy about that perhaps because the mangroves may be affected. So that one thing that requires a closer look.

One message for readers regarding environment…

Cut down on population! It is the only way to help the environment and the government in protecting environment. One can’t say ‘I don’t want this and I want only this’ as far as environment and nature is concerned.

As told to Lakshmi Subramanian