Navi Mumbai News: Environmentalists Hope For NRI Wetland Conservation Status After DPS Flamingo Lake Receives Protection

Navi Mumbai: Following the recent recommendation to declare DPS Flamingo Lake as a conservation reserve, environmentalists are now hopeful that the neighbouring NRI Wetland too will soon receive the same protection status. About a hundred people with most in pink attire as symbolic salute to flamingos, took part in the victory parade on Sunday morning.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), a prestigious research body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), has strongly advocated for the inclusion of both DPS Lake and the NRI Wetland in the conservation framework.

“This is a significant development in our ongoing efforts to protect Navi Mumbai’s precious wetlands that form part of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) satellite ecosystem,” said B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation.

WII was invited by the Maharashtra Forest Department to study the ecological importance of DPS Flamingo Lake and surrounding areas. In its report titled “Assessment on the Significance of the DPS Lake, Navi Mumbai for Flamingos”, the Institute has recommended that select water bodies located in the Arabian Sea inlet outside the TCFS boundary—including the DPS and NRI lakes—should be managed and preserved for aquatic bird life, especially flamingos.

Kumar presented these recommendations during a celebratory event held at DPS Flamingo Lake, where environmental enthusiasts gathered to mark the formal recognition of the 30-acre lake as a conservation reserve. “With this endorsement from the Wildlife Institute, we believe the decks are now cleared for protecting all five wetlands in this zone,” he added.

Previously, CIDCO had proposed a golf course project on the NRI Wetland, but this plan has since been scrapped, according to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) submitted to MOEFCC.

The airport authority has also affirmed in its environmental compliance submissions that biodiversity around the project area would be protected, in line with recommendations by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

“Flamingos are aquatic birds that roost exclusively in water, both day and night. Their roosting sites are sensitive to water level changes, and they prefer sheltered areas with stable tidal conditions,” the WII study stated. It added that both the DPS Lake and the nearby NRI Lake provide ideal habitats for the species.

Studies conducted by BNHS using GPS-tagged flamingos confirmed repeated use of these water bodies, underlining their ecological value. The Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management has also recently surveyed wetlands at Panje, NRI Complex, and TS Chanakya, according to RTI information accessed by NatConnect.

Kumar urged the state environment department to immediately notify these wetlands under the Environment Protection Act and grant them formal conservation reserve status. “We need rocket-speed action from the government now,” he said.

Local environmentalists have echoed the sentiment. Former corporator Netra Shirke and Sandeep Sareen of the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society commended Forest Minister Ganesh Naik for strongly advocating the conservation of DPS Lake. “Now nothing should stop the government from extending the protection status to all the remaining key wetlands,” said Sareen.

news