MUMBAI: The Union ministry of environment and forests no longer considers salt pans to be “wetlands’’, a move that could open up these eco-sensitive tracts in Mumbai for development.

Builders have been eying the over 5,300 acres of salt pans in Mumbai for several years while the state government is keen to exploit them for affordable housing. Environmentalists and civic activists have warned that salt pans are the last remaining open spaces in the city; they act as natural buffers during heavy rains and prevent flooding. Besides, they are contiguous to the marshy areas near estuaries and creeks which sustain the region’s bio-diversity and are classified as wildlife sanctuaries.

TOI has learnt that the ministry has tweaked the Wetland Rules, 2017, and deleted salt pans from the definition of ‘wetland’.

D Stalin, director of the NGO Vanashakti, said in one stroke the Centre has opened up the possibility of further erosion in the city’s open spaces, especially along the eastern coast. Most of the salt pans are situated in Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Mulund in the eastern suburbs and some in Mira Road, Dahisar and Vasai-Naigaon in the western suburbs. “Salt pans are in the inter-tidal areas so it is very strange that the ministry should exclude them,” he said.

Sources said the decision was taken in consultation with all coastal states which have large areas under salt pans and were keen to develop them.

Last month the ministry had called a meeting of stakeholders from across the country. Over 60,000 acres of salt pan land is owned by the Centre and they are spread over Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal , Andhra Pradesh , Odisha, Maharashtra. “While Maharashtra asked for water reservoirs not to be included under the definition of wetlands , the other states were vociferous and demanded that salt pan lands be excluded,” said sources.

State environment secretary Satish Gavai confirmed to TOI that salt pans have been excluded from the definition of wetlands, but added that development on them was a separate issue. He also said his department, in filing objections and suggestions, had not asked for exclusion of salt pans from wetlands.

This would have been a shift from the state’s earlier position in 2015 when Maharashtra government formally asked for transfer of salt pan lands in Mumbai and its suburbs to the state for creating affordable housing stock. At that time the Centre had asked the state for a master plan, explaining what it intended to do. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority was then appointed to prepare the plan. But in a report submitted in 2016, MMRDA said only 25 acres of the 5,379 acres under salt pans were developable.

This finding was endorsed by a survey which said large swathes of salt pans are located in the midst of wetlands or covered with mangroves. In addition, some expanses are encroached by slums and buildings while others are under litigation and title disputes.

The new rules state: “Wetland means an area 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, but does not include river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes and structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production,recreation and irrigation purposes.”

It also says wetland rules will not apply to wetlands falling in areas covered under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the State Forest Acts and the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011. Salt pans are covered under the coastal regulation zone (CRZ).

Stalin said salt pans in Mumbai have been wrongly classified as CRZ III without ground studies. “The draft Coastal Zone Management Plan has corrected this and classified them as falling under the stringent CRZ I. However, its finalisation is delayed and this will only benefit developers. Salt pans are now vulnerable as the CRZ Notification, 2011 does not explicitly state that they cannot be reclaimed,” he said.

However, a government official said it would not be easy to throw open salt pan lands for development given that these are inter-tidal areas and that there are title disputes.

Besides, activist and architect PK Das, while mapping the city’s open spaces, creeks, rivers etc had shown how nearly 95% of the city is already concretised.

“The recent deluge should serve as a warning against promoting real estate development on salt pan lands. Intense rainfall is going to be annual phenomena and so also flooding. Citizens and activists will need to continually raise their voice against concretisation of salt pan lands ,” said an official.

