BNHS to help avoid bird hits at Navi Mumbai airport

State government officials believe that the problem of birds hovering in the area will be compounded by the swathes of replanted mangroves that will spread over 370 hectares in the vicinity of the airport. Officials worry that the marshy land is bound to be a breeding ground for tiny marine organisms which will draw birds.

“The mangroves will be within 300 metres of the runway on the northern Waghavli side and on either side of the Gadhi river. BNHS will study the area and advise us on how to keep birds away from the mangroves,” said T C Benjamin,Principal Secretary for Urban Development Department. He added that the comprehensive study will be carried out over three years to account for migratory birds also.

The study is one of the 66 mandatory conditions laid out by the Ministry of Environment and Forests while giving green clearance to the project. The state government will be expected to submit a quarterly report on the progress of the study. Incidents of engine failures due to birds getting sucked into the engines have been a major hazard,especially during landings and take-offs with airport operators usually spending lakhs of rupees on fire crackers to chase the birds away. Recently,the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had directed airport operators to take serious measures to curb the menace.

A BNHS spokesperson said they are yet to start the study. “The survey on the status and distribution of avifauna (birds) at and around the proposed airport site in Navi Mumbai will be done before and during the construction.” BNHS will be paid Rs 44 lakh for each of the three years and is expected to complete the study before the airport becomes operational in 2015.

According to an official from the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco),which is developing the international airport,BNHS will also look into the possibility of developing alternative areas beyond a radius of 10 km from the airport that will serve as an attraction for birds and keep them away from the airfield. He added that the development will be within the aerotropolis (township of hotels,retail and entertainment centres close to an airport) that is being developed by Cidco within a 50-km radius of the airport. “The idea is to reduce bird crashes so that both they and we survive,” said the official.