Annual festival impacts firefly population: Pune activist to NGT

Time of India

28-04-2025

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Pune: The National Green Tribunal (
NGT
) has issued notices to the state forest and tourism departments seeking clarification whether the current guidelines governing the
Firefly Festival
(Kajwa Mahotsav) held annually between May and June were being properly implemented and were these enough to prevent ecological harm.
The directives came after a petition was filed by environmentalist Ganesh Borhade. He urged the tribunal to direct the authorities to frame comprehensive and detailed guidelines for protection and conservation of fireflies, particularly within the
Kalsubai wildlife sanctuary
.
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Borhade said the sanctuary experiences significant ecological disturbances during the festival because of unregulated tourism. He said artificial lighting from flashlights, mobile phones and vehicle headlights interferes with the natural mating behaviour of fireflies and is contributing to a significant decline in their population.
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"Fireflies rely on bioluminescent signals for reproduction and increased light pollution during the festival negatively impacts their reproductive success," he said in his petition.
Ambrish More had started the festival in 2012 around Arthur Lake and Bhandardara dam in Ahilyanagar district. He said, "I never expected the situation to become this bad when I first started to take tourists to see fireflies. Looking at the current situation, I often feel I made a mistake by exposing the spot to tourists and I may not be able to forgive myself for it."
More further said the firefly population will vanish entirely from the region if authorities fail to restrict tourist activities in the area. "There is an urgent need to stop the festival for the next two to three years, at least. If authorities fail to act, I will personally send a legal notice to the forest department on the matter," he added.
The festival started in Ahilyanagar and Nashik districts initially. Now it is also celebrated in other places like Bhimashankar, Malshej Ghat and Rajmachi in Pune and Radhanagri in Kolhapur district.
Activists said tour operators set up tents and tourists often play loud music which adversely impacts the wildlife.
Professional trekker Vinayak Wadekar, who has been visiting the areas for over two decades, observed a worrying trend. "The firefly population has dropped by nearly 20% to 30% in just the last few years as based on my experience," he said.
Wadekar further said lack of management leads to heavy congestion in the area troubling local residents as tourists park their vehicles on the road blocking movement of other vehicles completely.
Borhade said private operators are permitted by the forest department to set up tents and camping facilities within the eco-sensitive zone. He further said local forest officials issued a set of guidelines last year, but it proved inadequate to manage the situation — with most not being followed by tourists.
Meanwhile, the NGT bench has directed the state forest and tourism departments to submit their affidavits within four weeks.