Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has secured second rank in the state led initiative ‘Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyaan’ and additionally, also gets awarded as best performing city in ‘Bhoomi’ theme of the ‘Abhiyaan’.

‘Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan’, based on five elements related to nature- Bhoomi (earth), Vayu (air), Jal (water), Agni (fire) and Akash (sky), was started on October 2, 2020 for all the local bodies of the state. This year was the 4^th edition of the "Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan" and was implemented from 1^st April, 2023 to 31^st May, 2024. A total of 22,632 local bodies including 414 urban local bodies and 22,218 gram panchayats of the state participated in Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan 4.0. The cities were evaluated through document review and field evaluation and were graded out of 8300 marks in total.

Under the able leadership of Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner, Dr. Kailas Shinde, the city worked on all parameters related to environment. “Over 2 lakh new trees were planted of indigenous species. A city-wide tree census survey was done and all existing trees were mapped. Heritage trees were identified, and a tree protection plan was drafted. Our implementation of solid waste management and waste-water management reflected in the Abhiyan. Massive clean-up activities along the mangroves, by the citizen groups in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation also helped to create awareness for environmental conservation in the city,” NMMC Commissioner Dr Shinde said.

NMMC created new cycle tracks of 5.24 kms, along the palm beach road to curb air pollution in the city. NMMC also has E-bikes at major transport hubs in the city and 60% of the public bus fleet is electric buses. “All these initiatives have helped in addressing the air pollution issue in the city,” commissioner added. Major traffic spots have Air Quality Monitoring Stations with real time AQI public displays.

NMMC had periodically taken up rejuvenation and restoration of all the waterbodies and wells in the city. Water losses were minimized by regular water audits of government buildings and water supply network. During the festivals, awareness campaigns highlighting using mud-idols were done and the Municipal Corporation had created 114 artificial ponds for eco-friendly immersion of idols to curb the issue of water pollution.

As a part of energy saving initiative, NMMC converted all the street lights from sodium lamps to LED lights. The corporation had also encouraged its citizens to harness solar energy wherever possible and had several campaigns highlighting the same.

“The schools of Navi Mumbai have played a special role in ‘Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan 4.0’. All the schools successfully ran the ‘Paryavaran Sewa Yojna’ and held many programs for environmental awareness such as tree-planting camps, clean-up drives, drawing and art competitions etc. Various citizen groups, NGOs, senior citizen groups, corporate offices, market association, government offices and various other groups also sincerely contributed towards this achievement,” Dr Shinde said.

The NMMC Commissioner, Dr. Kailas Shinde, has expressed gratitude for their contributions and urged citizens to actively participate in the city’s efforts to enhance environmental sustainability in future as well.