Rampant illegal dumping of hazardous waste and debris in the mangroves of Balkum, Thane has led environmentalist Stalin Dayanand to ask the authorities for urgent intervention. Stalin, director of the NGO Vanashakti, said mangroves have been destroyed, coastal wetlands filled up and even hazardous waste has been dumped at the site.

“The dumping has reached levels where the high-tension power lines on the plot have come within touching distance. This is a serious safety hazard. The land in question seems to be privately owned and that makes the owners of the land culpable of this offence,” Stalin said in his letter.