Navi Mumbai: The state environment department directed the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to investigate the deterioration of the 30-acre DPS Flamingo Lake in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. They were asked to submit a report following concerns raised by environmentalists regarding the water body’s poor state, despite Navi Mumbai International Airport’s (NMIA) commitment to preserve it alongside other wetlands in the region.
CIDCO is executing the airport project, and NMIA, in its half-yearly environmental compliance report filed with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), committed that the airport management as well as the city planner would implement the Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) recommendations for the conservation of biodiversity in the airport vicinity. A CIDCO official said that the matter is being looked into.
NatConnect Foundation Director B N Kumar wrote to MOEFCC, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the state environment department well before the February 2 World Wetland Day, highlighting that the intertidal water flow to the DPS flamingo wetland remained blocked for months, rendering the water unsuitable for flamingos. In response, Environment Director Abhay Madhukar Pimparkar requested CIDCO management and NMMC to investigate and provide an action taken report within 15 days.
Following recommendations from a state-appointed high-level committee, the wetland should have been designated as a conservation reserve. The committee earlier instructed CIDCO to maintain two open water channels at the DPS Lake to ensure the free flow of intertidal water. Meanwhile, the Mangrove Cell reminded CIDCO of this requirement following environmental complaints, but CIDCO has not responded.
Despite Fadnavis directing the state forest department to examine violations at DPS flamingo lake, the wetland remains neglected. NMIA’s compliance report expresses concerns about birds near the airport project. However, BNHS studies, included in the compliance report, indicate that birds fly well below aircraft altitude. The DPS wetland’s condition deteriorated significantly, with blocked intertidal water flow from the creek resulting in stagnant water filled with moss and filth, unsuitable for flamingos, said greens.
Activist Sandeep Sareen emphasised this year’s World Wetlands Day theme as “Protecting wetlands for our common future”. These water bodies require protection for biodiversity maintenance, he said. The activists highlighted that wetlands serve multiple purposes such as hosting migratory and native birds, acting as carbon sinks, absorbing excess water, supporting fishing communities, and maintaining groundwater levels.
Navi Mumbai: The state environment department directed the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to investigate the deterioration of the 30-acre DPS Flamingo Lake in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. They were asked to submit a report following concerns raised by environmentalists regarding the water body’s poor state, despite Navi Mumbai International Airport’s (NMIA) commitment to preserve it alongside other wetlands in the region.
CIDCO is executing the airport project, and NMIA, in its half-yearly environmental compliance report filed with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), committed that the airport management as well as the city planner would implement the Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) recommendations for the conservation of biodiversity in the airport vicinity. A CIDCO official said that the matter is being looked into.
NatConnect Foundation Director B N Kumar wrote to MOEFCC, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the state environment department well before the February 2 World Wetland Day, highlighting that the intertidal water flow to the DPS flamingo wetland remained blocked for months, rendering the water unsuitable for flamingos. In response, Environment Director Abhay Madhukar Pimparkar requested CIDCO management and NMMC to investigate and provide an action taken report within 15 days.
Following recommendations from a state-appointed high-level committee, the wetland should have been designated as a conservation reserve. The committee earlier instructed CIDCO to maintain two open water channels at the DPS Lake to ensure the free flow of intertidal water. Meanwhile, the Mangrove Cell reminded CIDCO of this requirement following environmental complaints, but CIDCO has not responded.
Despite Fadnavis directing the state forest department to examine violations at DPS flamingo lake, the wetland remains neglected. NMIA’s compliance report expresses concerns about birds near the airport project. However, BNHS studies, included in the compliance report, indicate that birds fly well below aircraft altitude. The DPS wetland’s condition deteriorated significantly, with blocked intertidal water flow from the creek resulting in stagnant water filled with moss and filth, unsuitable for flamingos, said greens.
Activist Sandeep Sareen emphasised this year’s World Wetlands Day theme as “Protecting wetlands for our common future”. These water bodies require protection for biodiversity maintenance, he said. The activists highlighted that wetlands serve multiple purposes such as hosting migratory and native birds, acting as carbon sinks, absorbing excess water, supporting fishing communities, and maintaining groundwater levels.