7 flamingos spotted near DPS Lake Wetland killed, activists blame CIDCO’s development plan

Avian enthusiasts and environmental activists are seeking a thorough investigation to find the cause of the death of the seven flamingos and urging authorities to take necessary action. “We, in coordination with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), wrote to CIDCO to stop being careless about the DPS wetland, but the destruction continued,” said B N Kumar, the Director of NatConnect Foundation.

On Friday, April 26, Deepak Khade, Divisional Forest Officer of Mangrove Cell, Mumbai, inspected the DPS Lake wetland along with representatives from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Natconnect Foundation, Vanashakti NGO, NMMC officials, and local environmentalists.

In the preliminary observation, it was found that two out of three inlets of the lake were blocked by the newly constructed high-rise roads by CIDCO which resulted in stagnant water, disregarding the fact that flamingos typically inhabit areas with flowing water. Stalin D of Vanashakti NGO said, “The defunct Nerul Jetty constructed by CIDCO serves no purpose and is instead blocking the inlets, thereby destroying the natural habitat of these birds.”

As the habitat of these migratory birds is threatened, flamingos are increasingly found aimlessly roaming on the streets, endangering their lives. Despite appeals from the forest department, CIDCO is yet to address the issue of drying wetlands.

According to experts, the death of the flamingos can be attributed to a scientific phenomenon called ‘light pollution’, which partially impairs the vision of the birds due to their fragile eyes. Stalin D alleged that the newly installed LED lights disorient and misguide the birds while flying, which then happen to crash with random objects and get injured.

Dr. Rahul Khot, Deputy Director of BHNS said, “The shades over the bulbs should be angled at 45 degrees to ensure that the light flows downward and does not spread sideways to avoid obstructing the vision of flying birds.” Khot also urged the NMMC to replace the LED lights with the conventional phosphorus (yellow) lights.

The pink migratory birds adopt the ‘follow the leader’ flying formation, with one leader guiding other juvenile birds. Additionally, they require a large waterbody as a runway for take-off, with a clear vision, without which they struggle to fly and hence get disoriented in their very own habitat.

The DPS Lake wetland, which has served as a habitat for flamingos and other migratory birds for decades, seems to be a land allotted for future development on the CIDCO plan. “CIDCO never complies with the court orders of preserving this 30 acre wetland and misleads the court. The state government doesn’t question them at all. These are all attempts to destroy the habitat of 50,000 flamingos under the banner of development,” added Stalin D.

A month ago, when one of the two flamingos collided with the Nerul signboard and died, many environmentalists appealed to CIDCO to remove it, citing it as an obstruction to the flight of birds. The board was removed after constant follow-ups by the activists and locals under the direction of Joint Managing Director Kailash Shinde.

These incidents are constantly happening in the officially declared ‘flamingo city’ at the exact location where a massive ‘Flamingo festival’ was celebrated two years ago. “In the past, CIDCO pledged to preserve 40% of the area for the environment and green cover, but today, they seem indifferent, leading to a significant decline in the migratory bird population from around 5 lakhs to nearly 1 lakh,” said Kumar.

Every year, flamingos that migrate at Thane Creek during the season, seek refuge in the Navi Mumbai wetlands for roosting when there is a high tide in the creek, but these habitats are now facing significant threats. Moreover, the NRI wetlands in Seawoods are endangered by the Golf Course project proposed by CIDCO, sanctioned by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority.