Navi Mumbai: The Kharghar Wetlands and Hills, in collaboration with environmentalists and local authorities, will conduct a biodiversity survey on February 1, ahead of World Wetlands Day, observed globally on February 2. This year’s theme, ‘Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future,’ aims to raise awareness about wetlands’ crucial role in ecological balance and biodiversity conservation.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the state environment department to instruct the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to investigate the destruction of the 30-acre DPS Flamingo Lake and submit a report within 15 days.
The department has also sought an action-taken report following environmentalists’ complaints about the lake’s deteriorating condition despite commitments to conserve it under the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project. The CM’s directive follows an activist sharing a Free Press Journal report on the lake’s destruction with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC).
CIDCO, responsible for implementing the NMIA project, had assured the MOEFCC in its half-yearly environmental compliance report that it would follow the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) recommendations to protect biodiversity in the airport region.
However, NatConnect Foundation’s director, BN Kumar, alleged that the intertidal water flow to the DPS wetland has been blocked for months, causing stagnation that makes it unsuitable for flamingos.
Sandeep Sareen of the Navi Mumbai Environment Protection Society (NMEPS) stressed the importance of wetlands in supporting biodiversity, serving as carbon sinks, and managing groundwater levels.
He highlighted their role in sustaining migratory and native birds, mitigating urban flooding, and supporting local fishing communities. “We are urging swift action to prevent further degradation of this critical water body,” Kumar said.
