Sumaira Abdulali

Sumaira Abdulali
Born (1961-05-22) 22 May 1961
Mumbai, India
Residence Mumbai, India
Nationality Indian
Fields environmentalism,
Wildlife conservation
Institutions Bombay Natural History Society
Known for Awaaz Foundation, MITRA
Notable awards Mother Teresa Awards
Spouse Akbar

Sumaira Abdulali (born 22 May 1961) is an environmentalist from Mumbai, India and founder of the NGO Awaaz Foundation and Convenor of the Movement against Intimidation, Threat and Revenge against Activists (MITRA).

Through legal interventions, advocacy and public campaigns, contribution to documentary films, television debates and press articles she has successfully mainstreamed and built consciousness about previously unknown environmental hazards, notably noise pollution[1] and sand mining, and has won national and International awards for her work. She also set up the first network for protection of activists in India after an attack on her by the sand mafia is 2004.

Activism

Noise pollution

While working with Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG), Abdulali, in coordination with Dr. Yeshwant Oke and Dr. Prabhakar Rao, was involved in filing a 1995 public interest litigation with the Bombay High Court demanding guidelines for noise regulation. This resulted in the court appointing a committee to study noise pollution levels in Mumbai, which subsequently produced a report detailing serious health hazards associated with exposure to high-decibel noise. Based on the recommendations of this report, the Government of India passed The Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules in February 2000. Consequently, the use of loudspeakers was banned from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m and for the first time noise was classified as a pollutant in India.

In 2002, Abdulali, along with Oke and Rao, filed a petition in the Bombay High Court demanding the demarcation of silence zones.[1] Seven years later, in 2009, the Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to demarcate 2,237 silence zones extending 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions, courts and religious institutions.[2]

In 2006, Abdulali founded Awaaz Foundation, a registered public trust to support noise advocacy and environmentalism, named for the Marathi and Hindi word for "noise".[3]

Following years of Abdulali's advocacy, the Government of Maharashtra issued a circular in 2015 banning the use of 'Horn OK Please' signage on the rear side of commercial vehicles across Maharashtra on the grounds that it encourages motorists to honk unnecessarily and leads to noise pollution.[4]

Sumaira Abdulali recording noise under a Silence Zone board at a religious place

Sand mining

Sumaira Abdulali has opposed illegal sand mining through advocacy and legal interventions since 2003. While working with the Bombay Environmental Action Group, Abdulali alleged that a May 2004 confrontation with illegal sand miners on Kihim Beach ended with associates of the miners, purported to include the son of a local Indian National Congress leader, physically assaulting Abdulali and damaging her car.[5][6]

Following the encounter, Abdulali filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the police, who charged four individuals with attacking Abdulali. In 2011, a court acquitted all four individuals on grounds of insufficient evidence.[7][8]

Abdulali's Awaaz Foundation filed the first public interest litigation in the country against illegal sand mining in 2006.[9] After numerous hearings, the Bombay High Court passed interim orders banning illegal sand mining.[10][11] In 2010, The High Court extended the ban on sand extraction across the state of Maharashtra.[12][13]

Loading illegally dredged sand

In 2010, Abdulali, along with journalists and local activists, traveled to Bankot creek in the Raigad district of Maharashtra to document photographic evidence of ongoing illegal sand mining. After surveying the site and recording purportedly illegal activity on video, Abdulali and her associates say that their car was pursued and struck by another vehicle driven by illegal sand mining affiliates.[11][14][15]

Coastal sand mining side event at CBD CoP11

Abdulali participated in the production of the 2012 documentary Sand Wars, which focuses on sand mining and its damaging environmental impacts across the world. The film inspired the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to publish a Global Environmental Alert in March 2014 titled "Sand: Rarer Than One Thinks".[16][17]

Open-pit mining

In 2011, Abdulali joined efforts to oppose leases issued by the Government of Maharashtra to allow open-pit mining in the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg corridor of the Western Ghats. Abdulali and others argued that such mining would have a disruptive effect on local wildlife in the biodiverse Sawantwadi-Dodamarg corridor, which provides a habitat for such endangered species as leopards and tigers.[18] Abdulali filed a public interest litigation requesting that the area be declared an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) and a zero mining policy be applied in the area.[19][20][21] In 2013, the Bombay High Court granted the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg corridor ESA status and issued an order that the government impose a moratorium on mining activities in the area to preserve biodiversity.[22][23] The following year, despite protests from Abdulali and other activists, the Government of India lifted the moratorium, once again allowing mining in the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg corridor.[24]

Sawantwadi-Dodamarg Wildlife Corridor in the Western Ghats

Protection of activists

Following the 2004 alleged assault on Abdulali by “sand mafia” in Kihim, Abdulali joined with other NGOs and activists in founding the Movement against Intimidation, Threat and Revenge against Activists (MITRA).[25][26][27]

Publications

Documentary films

Sumaira Abdulali participated in many documentary Films.

References

  1. 1 2 Lakshmi, Rama (October 3, 2013). "Sumaira Abdulali fights to lower noise levels in Mumbai, India’s capital of noise". Washington post. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Mansi, Choksi; Sukhada, Tatke (January 8, 2009). "2009 ushers in sound future for Mumbai". Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  3. ↑ Chatterjee, Badri (Jul 13, 2015). "For this crusader, protecting the environment is a responsibility". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Implement 'Horn OK Please' ban properly, say activists". Times of India. May 2, 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Radha (May 26, 2004). "Activist beaten up by Alibag sand mafia". Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Environmentalist assaulted at Kihim". MiD-Day. May 26. 2004-. Retrieved 2 August 2015. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ↑ Nair, Manoj R (January 20, 2009). "PROSECUTE MLA IN SAND MINING CASE, SAYS COURT". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  8. ↑ B, Viju (March 29, 2011). "4 acquitted in sand mining assault case". Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  9. ↑ BEISER, VINCE (March 26, 2015). "The Deadly Global War for Sand". WIRED MAGAZINE. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "Court Commissioner". http://www.awaaz.org/. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  11. 1 2 Pillay, Amritha (March 18, 2010). "Bombay High Court slams police in Abdulali attack case". Sucheta Dalal. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "HC bans sand mining across Maharashtra". Times of India. TNN. September 25, 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "HC bans sand extraction in Maharashtra". Deccan herald. PTI. September 24, 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  14. ↑ B, Viju (March 24, 2010). "Creeks and rivers up for sale". Times of India. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  15. ↑ B, Viju (March 17, 2010). "Sand mafia attacks TOI team in Raigad". Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  16. ↑ UNEP "Sand, rarer than one thinks"
  17. ↑ Goenka, Karishma (February 18, 2014). "We might lose our beaches to sand mining: Denis Delestrac". DNA. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  18. ↑ Angre, Ketki (December 22, 2010). "Sindhudurg: Mining at the cost of tigers?". NDTV. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "Declare Sawantwadi-Dodamarg 'eco-sensitive', government urged". sify news. IANS. January 19, 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  20. ↑ Lewis, Clara (November 1, 2013). "Panel to seek feedback on green tag for wildlife corridor". Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "Make Gadgil report public: Sumaira Abdulali". Times of India. TNN. January 18, 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  22. ↑ "Mining corridor in state gets eco-sensitive tag". http://www.awaaz.org/. Awaaz Foundation. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "Office memorandum 17 October 2013" (PDF). http://www.moef.nic.in/. THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT & FORESTS, Government of India. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  24. ↑ "Sumaira Abdulali writes to PM, CM". Sakal Media Group. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  25. ↑ "‘No real will to protect activists'". Frontline.in. 2010-09-10. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  26. ↑ Nitasha Natu, TNN Mar 9, 2005, 03.24pm IST (2005-03-09). "Common platform to fight vested interests required - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  27. ↑ "Will the cell to protect activists be revived? - DNA - English News & Features - Mumbai". dnasyndication.com<. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  28. ↑ "Sand Wars (2013)". http://www.imdb.com/. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  29. ↑ "Sand Wars - Kanopy". https://www.kanopystreaming.com. Kanopy. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  30. ↑ Zara Suniye to(Part 2)

External links

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