Some spaces need to remain wild, wet, alive—not because they are beautiful, though they often are, but because cities cannot function without them.
Along the edges of one of India's fastest-growing metropolitan regions, where marshes and mangroves persist in the shadow of construction cranes, the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society will gather scientists, students, and citizens on February 1 to mark World Wetlands Day 2026 at SIES College in Nerul. The event arrives as a quiet but deliberate act of resistance — a reminder that the ecosystems most easily overlooked are often the ones a city cannot afford to lose. In bringing together institutional expertise and youth-driven innovation, the gathering asks a question that every expanding city must eventually answer: what do we choose to protect, and why?
- Wetlands across Navi Mumbai face relentless pressure from urban development, making their ecological functions — flood buffering, water filtration, biodiversity support — increasingly invisible to the communities that depend on them.
- A student sustainability hackathon finale and a waste-materials exhibition signal that the next generation is not waiting for policy mandates before designing solutions.
- Veteran practitioners including BNHS Director Kishor Rithe and field experts Stalin D, Rohit Joshi, and Nandkumar Pawar will anchor panel discussions, bridging grassroots urgency with institutional credibility.
- The Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society is using this annual event to reframe wetlands not as scenic amenities but as essential urban infrastructure — as indispensable as roads or water pipes.
- Growing youth involvement and community participation suggest that environmental advocacy in Indian cities is increasingly building momentum from below, rather than waiting for change from above.
On February 1, the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society will open SIES College in Nerul to host World Wetlands Day 2026 — one of the region's most anticipated environmental gatherings. The event arrives as marshes, mangroves, and shallow water bodies face mounting pressure from urban expansion, even as they remain among the most ecologically productive landscapes on earth.
The day's programme reflects a deliberate tension between expertise and grassroots action. A sustainability hackathon finale will see students present solutions they have developed themselves. A waste exhibition will demonstrate that transformation is possible at the local level, with materials already at hand. Panel discussions will feature seasoned practitioners, while Kishor Rithe, director of the Bombay Natural History Society, delivers the keynote address.
For NMEPS, the event has grown into something larger than a single-day conference. It has become a touchstone for the society's citizen-led mission to preserve the region's wetlands and mangroves — ecosystems that filter water, buffer storm surge, and sustain both wildlife and human communities. Organisation leader V. K. Gandhi frames the stakes plainly: wetlands are not optional amenities but essential infrastructure, as critical to a functioning city as roads, yet far more easily erased.
What distinguishes this year's gathering is its emphasis on student-led work and community participation. Young people are already designing interventions; citizens are being invited to see themselves as part of the solution rather than passive observers of decline. In a region where mangroves have been lost to development and wetlands drained for construction, that kind of sustained, visible commitment carries weight. As Navi Mumbai continues to expand, events like this one represent a clear answer to the question of what should not be built over — spaces that need to remain wild, wet, and alive, because cities cannot function without them.
On February 1, the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society will open the doors of SIES College in Nerul to host what has become one of the region's most anticipated environmental gatherings: World Wetlands Day 2026. The event arrives at a moment when these ecosystems—marshes, mangroves, shallow water bodies—face mounting pressure from urban expansion, yet remain among the most ecologically productive landscapes on earth.
The programme will draw together an unlikely coalition: environmental scientists, university students, local activists, and community members, all converging around a single urgent question: how do you protect something most people walk past without seeing? The day's agenda reflects this tension between expertise and grassroots action. There will be a sustainability hackathon finale, where students present solutions they've developed. An exhibition showcasing art and objects made from waste will occupy another corner of the campus. Panel discussions will feature established environmental practitioners—Stalin D, Rohit Joshi, and Nandkumar Pawar among them—who have spent years working in the field. Kishor Rithe, director of the Bombay Natural History Society, will deliver the keynote address, lending institutional weight to the proceedings.
For the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society, this annual event has become something more than a one-day conference. It has evolved into a touchstone for the organisation's broader mission: a citizen-led effort to preserve the region's natural systems while the city around them grows. The society focuses particularly on wetlands and mangroves—ecosystems that filter water, buffer storm surge, provide breeding grounds for fish and birds, and anchor the food chains that sustain both wildlife and human communities. In a metropolitan area experiencing rapid development, these spaces are simultaneously invaluable and under siege.
V. K. Gandhi, who leads the organisation, frames the challenge plainly. Wetlands rank among the most precious yet fragile natural systems we have. They are not scenic backdrops or optional amenities. They are infrastructure—as essential to a functioning city as roads or water pipes, yet far more easily erased. The society's work, and events like this one, aim to shift that perception. They want young people to understand what is at stake. They want the wider community to grasp why protecting a marsh matters as much as building a highway.
What makes this year's event distinctive is its emphasis on student-led work and community participation. The hackathon finale suggests that solutions are not coming only from established institutions or government mandates. Young people are already thinking about sustainability, already designing interventions. The waste exhibition carries a similar message: transformation is possible at the local level, with materials at hand. These are not abstract environmental principles. They are concrete, visible, actionable.
The gathering also reflects a broader shift in how environmental advocacy operates in Indian cities. Rather than waiting for top-down policy change, grassroots organisations are building momentum from below—creating spaces where expertise and community concern meet, where students can test ideas, where citizens can see themselves as part of the solution rather than passive observers of decline. In a region where mangroves have been lost to development and wetlands drained for construction, this kind of sustained, visible commitment matters. It signals that some people are paying attention. It creates a record that these ecosystems matter to someone.
As Navi Mumbai continues to expand, the question of what gets preserved and what gets sacrificed will only sharpen. Events like this one, and organisations like NMEPS, represent one answer to that question: not everything can or should be built over. Some spaces need to remain wild, wet, alive—not because they are beautiful, though they often are, but because cities cannot function without them.
Citações Notáveis
Wetlands are among the most valuable yet vulnerable natural ecosystems, and we aim to engage young minds and the wider community to create awareness about the urgent need to protect them for the future of cities and the environment.— V. K. Gandhi, president of NMEPS
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a city need wetlands? Aren't they just swampy, unusable land?
They're actually critical infrastructure. Wetlands filter water, absorb floodwaters, provide breeding grounds for fish and birds. In a dense city like Navi Mumbai, they're as essential as pipes and roads—just less visible.
So this event on February 1st—is it mainly for environmental professionals, or is it open to regular people?
It's deliberately mixed. Students, academics, community members, and experts all in one space. The hackathon finale and waste exhibition are student-led, which signals that solutions aren't just coming from institutions.
What's the actual threat to these wetlands in Navi Mumbai?
Urban expansion. As the city grows, developers drain wetlands for construction. Mangroves get cleared. The society is trying to shift the perception that these are wasted space—to show they're irreplaceable.
Why bring in someone like Kishor Rithe from the Bombay Natural History Society?
Institutional credibility. BNHS is established, respected. Having their director as chief guest signals this isn't just local activism—it's grounded in serious scientific work.
Does an event like this actually change anything, or is it mostly symbolic?
Both. Symbolically, it creates a record that people care, that alternatives exist. Practically, it engages students who might go on to careers in environmental work, and it builds community awareness. In a city under constant development pressure, that sustained visibility matters.