Navi Mumbai: Environmentalists Slam CIDCO For Calling DPS Flamingo Lake 'Vacant Land' In Habitat Study Tender

Navi Mumbai: Environmentalists have criticised the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) for describing DPS Flamingo Lake in Nerul as ‘vacant land’ in a tender floated for a flamingo habitat study, despite the state government’s decision to accord the ecologically sensitive wetland Conservation Reserve status. They have urged the government to expedite the formal notification and ensure the site receives the protection it deserves.

NatConnect Foundation Writes To CM Devendra Fadnavis Over Wetland Protection

NatConnect Foundation has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging that CIDCO’s move undermines the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife’s decision to declare DPS Flamingo Lake a Conservation Reserve. The foundation has called for the immediate implementation of the decision.

NatConnect director B N Kumar said the Government Resolution (GR) formalising the Conservation Reserve status had been pending with the Chief Minister for nearly a year, according to an RTI response from the Forest Department. He warned that the delay was leaving the wetland vulnerable to further ecological damage.

Supreme Court Emphasises Protection And Demarcation Of Wetlands

The appeal comes amid the Supreme Court’s renewed emphasis on wetland protection in proceedings involving environmental organisation Vanashakti. The apex court has directed authorities to expedite the verification and demarcation of wetlands and other water bodies.

Questioning the need for another study, Rekha Shankhala of the Save Flamingos and Mangroves Forum urged CIDCO and the Maharashtra government to make public the findings of previous studies conducted on DPS Lake and disclose the status of its proposed Conservation Reserve.

NMEPS Alleges CIDCO Disregarded High Court Rulings On DPS Lake

Sandeep Sareen of the Navi Mumbai Environment Protection Society (NMEPS) said DPS Lake was protected by a High Court judgment that recognised the site as a wetland. He alleged that CIDCO had repeatedly disregarded the court’s rulings by continuing to treat the area as a land parcel.

“CIDCO has also blocked the intertidal water flow, which is a clear case of contempt of court,” Sareen said.

CIDCO Floats Six-Month Flamingo Habitat Study Tender Near Navi Mumbai Airport

CIDCO’s tender notice, dated October 27, 2026, invites bids for appointing an expert to study the flamingo habitat on vacant land near DPS, Nerul, in the vicinity of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The proposed assignment will run for six months. Consultants must have completed or undertaken bird-hazard assessments for at least five airports during the preceding five years.

Kumar pointed out that the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has repeatedly recommended the protection of wetlands and bird habitats around NMIA, including DPS Flamingo Lake, NRI Lake and TS Chanakya Lake.

NMIAL Acknowledges Biodiversity Conservation Recommendations

Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) has also acknowledged biodiversity conservation recommendations in environmental compliance reports submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

According to preliminary observations by BNHS cited on page 205 of the compliance documentation, local bird movements are commonly restricted to altitudes below 50 metres above sea level. The flight-pattern visualisation indicated that aircraft taking off from or landing at NMIA generally fly above the observed flight elevations of birds in Thane Creek.

A similar pattern was noted at Mumbai airport’s Runway 09-27, whose eastern approach passes close to the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary. The documentation also records BNHS’s long-term monitoring and conservation role, including the preparation of a bird-threat mitigation plan for NMIA and its surrounding areas.

NatConnect maintained that airport safety and biodiversity conservation were not mutually exclusive and should be pursued together. It urged CIDCO and the state government to honour existing conservation commitments and expedite the formal notification of DPS Flamingo Lake as a Conservation Reserve, warning that continued administrative delays could put the wetland at further risk.

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