Maharashtra Forest Minister Backs Conservation Tag For DPS Flamingo Lake, Urges Action On Wetland Protection

In a boost to environmentalists’ drive to save DPS Flamingo Lake in Nerul in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has promised to pursue a government committee recommendation to declare the 30-acre wetland a conservation reserve. The committee, formed in response to a series of flamingo deaths near DPS Lake and tasked with safeguarding migratory bird habitats, has urged the government to grant the wetland conservation status.

Despite this, CIDCO was yet to act on the committee’s directive to clear blocked water channels and restore intertidal water flow, leaving the lake polluted with muck and moss, forcing flamingos to avoid the area, according to Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS) activist Sandeep Sareen.

Environment watchdog NatConnect Foundation’s director B N Kumar met Naik on Friday, urging him to push for the lake’s protection. Kumar also presented Naik with a written appeal and a copy of the government committee’s findings, which NatConnect obtained through the RTI Act. In response, Naik immediately forwarded the request to Additional Chief Secretary – Forest, Milind Mhaiskar, and assured follow-up action, NatConnect stated.

“Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) has committed in its official reports to protect the region’s biodiversity. The airport’s mandatory submissions to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) specify that CIDCO and NMIAL must preserve wetlands as per recommendations from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS),” Kumar said.

However, CIDCO has remained unresponsive despite its obligations, Kumar said, calling for immediate action in the interest of environmental conservation and flamingo habitat preservation.