Navi Mumbai: Around 5,000 flamingos have arrived early at Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, prompting environmentalists to renew calls to protect DPS Flamingo Lake as the Centre seeks priority action on the wetland. Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change referred the plea by greens to Maharashtra State Wetland Authority for urgent intervention. It sought necessary action on priority and asked that an Action Taken Report be sent to the complainant, with a copy to the ministry. Environmentalists said the early arrival reflected climate change’s impact on migratory patterns.The 12-hectare DPS Lake is an important satellite habitat for flamingos.Its proposed conservation reserve status remains pending despite Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, resolving on April 17, 2025, to grant protection. A state forest department RTI reply confirmed that the final proposal had been submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office, but the govt resolution notifying the reserve had not been issued.NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar sought Prime Minister’s intervention, saying the delay left a critical habitat vulnerable as the migratory season approached. Wildlife Institute of India recommended managing selected water bodies outside the sanctuary for aquatic birds, specifically identifying DPS and NRI lakes for flamingo conservation. Its assessment recorded tagged flamingos using DPS Lake, based on Bombay Natural History Society studies, and highlighted the importance of tidal flow and shallow feeding habitats.Greens raised concerns over blocked intertidal flow, algal growth and wetland deterioration. The institute also identified a drain carrying sewage from interior townships into the lake. The ministry reiterated that Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, prohibit reclamation and conversion for non-wetland uses, including encroachment, construction, solid-waste dumping and untreated-effluent discharge.V K Gandhi, president of Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS), sought expedited notification, restoration of natural tidal flow and ecological health, and protection of both lakes under the institute’s recommendations. Greens also called for time-bound notification of nearly 24,000 Maharashtra wetlands ground-truthed by National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management. — B B Nayak
