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Mumbai A large, unauthorised landfill of municipal waste, which has mushroomed on the banks of the Ulhas Creek in Diva, Thane district, for over a year is now emitting toxic leachate into the water body and nearby patches of mangrove.

An independent laboratory analysis by a city-based environment group shows that the discharge exceeds permissible pollution standards.

“The leachate from the site is flowing directly into the creek. Marine life is bound to be severely impacted due to this. This is a fishing zone and livelihoods of fishermen are dependent on the creek,” cautioned Stalin D, director of environment non-profit Vanashakti, who wrote to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the forest department’s mangrove cell, highlighting the issue this week.

A sample tested by Vanashakti showed that the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of the creek water nearby to be 2250mg/litre, which is much higher than the permissible limit of 100mg/litre (for discharge into marine coastal areas), as per Schedule VI of the Environment Protection Rules (1986). The permissible BOD for public sewers is 350mg/litre. Similarly, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) level stood at 6720 mg/litre, significantly more than the permissible threshold of 250mg/ litre.

BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen required by microorganisms to break down organic materials in a given sample of water. It is a metric commonly used as an indicator of environmental pollution. The higher the level of organic pollutants in the water, like those found in sewers, the higher the BOD.

COD refers to the amount of dissolved oxygen in a given sample of water which can be oxidised through chemical reactions. A high COD indicates a greater presence of inorganic or chemical pollutants, such as in industrial effluents.

“The officials of MPCB have turned a blind eye to the violations and are allowing them to continue. We demand criminal prosecution of the officials of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) for this negligence. Environmental restoration costs must be imposed, just as the restoration must be done in an appropriately approved scientific manner. Please declare the site as a hazard zone, shut it down and take corrective action,” Vanashakti’s letter to authorities stated.

When he was told about the situation, Manish Joshi, deputy municipal commissioner, Thane, said, “I don’t think the site is in our jurisdiction. Please check with the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) about the same.”

Despite our repeated attempts, Atul Patil, deputy municipal commissioner (solid waste management), KDMC, was unavailable for a response.

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