Mumbai News: BMC Gets Relief As Supreme Court Stays HC Order Declaring Kanjurmarg Landfill A Protected Forest; Activists Decry Environmental Setback

Mumbai: On Friday, the Supreme Court’s (SC) stay on the Bombay High Court’s (HC) order to declare 120 hectares in Kanjurmarg a protected forest has offered major relief to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The civic body can now continue using the site as a landfill critical to manage nearly 90% of Mumbai’s waste.

However, the decision has disappointed environmental activists and local residents, who view the land as ecologically sensitive and have long demanded its restoration as forest.

Bombay HC Had Ordered Reclassification of 120 Hectares

Mumbai generates around 7,000 metric tons (MT) of solid waste every day, with nearly 90% processed at the Kanjurmarg facility, and the rest sent to the Deonar landfill. On May 2, the Bombay High Court quashed the de-notification of 119.91 hectares of land in Kanjurmarg, restoring its status as a protected forest.

The land had been earmarked by the BMC for landfill use. With Kanjurmarg being the city's only functional dumping site, civic officials had warned that a sudden halt in operations could cripple Mumbai’s waste management system.

SC Stay Permits Continued Waste Dumping at Kanjurmarg Site

“Without an immediate substitute, halting dumping overnight could have paralysed Mumbai, as 90% of the city’s waste is processed there. If the Supreme Court had also ordered us to vacate, finding an alternative site would have been extremely challenging. The stay order has come as a relief. In the meantime, we are already working on several measures to reduce the volume of waste going to landfills,” said a senior civic official.

Activists Call SC Decision a Blow to Ecological Justice

Meanwhile, Zoru Bhathena an environmental activist said, "Many years ago a wrong was done to Mumbai, by converting a Forest into a dumping ground. After years of struggle the Bombay HC agreed to set it right. It is very disappointing to see that the SC has put a halt on this process. But we are hopeful that they too will eventually set this right."

Stalin D. from the NGO 'Vanshakti', said, "We respect the judiciary’s role, no doubt. However, today’s decision has delayed much-needed environmental justice.”

Residents Raise Health Concerns Over Continued Dumping

Amit Desai, a local resident, said, “The dumping site causes serious health problems such as coughing, asthma, and skin diseases. We understand the city needs a dumping ground, but it should not come at the cost of residents’ health.

The HC verdict came on a 2013 PIL filed by Vanashakti, a public trust, challenging the de-notification of land in Kanjur village that was classified as protected forest. In June 2025, over 10,000 local residents signed a petition demanding the clearing of the Kanjurmarg landfill.