CIDCO road endangers flamingoes at DPS lake in Navi Mumbai

The birds fly into wetlands such as DPS Flamingo Lake. Pic/Getty Images

The DPS Flamingo Lake at Nerul in Navi Mumbai faces twin dangers due to a disputed road along the wetland and the blockage of intertidal water.

Navi Mumbai-based environmentalist B N Kumar from the NatConnect Foundation told mid-day that a team from the state government has found that the 600-metre road between the 30 acre of mangroves and the wetland will lead to environmental destruction.

It may be noted that NatConnect has earlier complained to the Centre as well as the state that the road built by the CIDCO violates the CRZ norms, which prohibit any construction within the 50-metre radius of mangroves.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India (MOEFCC) has asked the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to investigate the issue. On December 3, a team from the Thane collector's office visited the lake area and recorded its panchnama report, which called for scrapping the road as it could lead to mangrove destruction and encroachment of the lake.

Activists had not opposed the road that CIDCO said was meant for developing the Nerul jetty, but now the designs of CIDCO are surfacing, said Sandeep Sareen of the Navi Mumbai Environmental Preservation Society (NMEPS). "We never thought that the road would turn out to be a bane for the flamingo lake," he added.

The road itself has blocked the free flow of intertidal water to the lake from an adjoining nullah that connects to the Thane Creek, Kumar said.

"The probe team's report, therefore, vindicates our concerns," he said. Even the water channels from under the road, which were cleared following the instructions from Airoli MLA Ganesh Naik in May, were choked all over again, added Kumar.

"The stagnant water in the lake with moss and muck has rendered it unfriendly for the flamingos," Kumar said as he pointed out that the migratory bird season has set in and pink birds will start arriving at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS).

The birds normally fly into wetlands such as DPS Flamingo Lake, NRI, and T S Chanakya wetlands during the high tide in the creek.

"This sabotage is highly disturbing even as the state government has appointed a high-level committee to suggest ways to save the lake, which is visited by flamingos in large numbers," he said.

In the wake of a spate of flamingo deaths at the DPS Lake, the then forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had in July appointed a committee.

The matter is under review at the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has taken a suo motu notice of media reports. NatConnect Foundation has filed an intervention application with the NGT raising its concerns.

Pointing out that CIDCO's development plan earmarked the DPS Flamingo Lake for "future development," Kumar appealed to the government to reject CIDCO's plans and save the flamingo destination as part of the city's biodiversity.

"It is also important to conserve the city's wetlands as they act as a natural anti-flood mechanism, support the fishing community, and maintain the ecological balance," he added.