Airoli MLA Ganesh Naik intervenes in the DPS lake issues, after the NRI Estate residents approach him to seek help in getting the tidal water way cleared. The greens and the NRI estate residents had been voicing out their concerns regarding the blockage of the tidal water to the DPS lake which had been affecting the Flamingoes that are frequented in the lake. The lack of water in the lake had also been affecting the flora and fauna in the lake. The activists had been writing and protecting against the CIDCO authorities demanding to clear the blockage with no result and finally approach the MLA.
Following the visit of Naik at the lake on Thursday morning, he directed CIDCO authorities to clear the way within a weeks’ time. “Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation as well as CIDCO has 99% good officers. Such issues are caused due to the 1% of people in the organization who do not do what they are supposed to do. I have asked the CIDCO authorities to do the needful to clear the water flow into the lake within a week’s time. In case they fail, I will myself come with a JCB and Poclain machine and clear the path,” Naik said. He pointed out that the construction of a road to the now unused passenger transport terminal has buried the main water channel to the lake rendering the lake absolutely dry making it flamingo-unfriendly. Environmentalists who were also present during the visit by Naik, led him to the eight cement pipes through which water used to flow from the creek back and forth till about five years ago before the road construction. “The Flamingo City of Navi Mumbai would lose its identity if the pink birds stop landing here”, he added.
NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar pointed out that the CIDCO, in its development plan, has already marked the lake for “future development”. It is really unfortunate that the city planner CIDCO is playing with nature and hell bent on burying the biodiversity, Kumar said. At NatConnect’s instance the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had also asked the state environment department to probe into the charges of sabotaging the lake and report. Meanwhile, the High Court appointed Mangrove Protection and Conservation Committee has called Kumar for a site inspection next Wednesday. The environmental clearance for the jetty work had clearly stipulated that the water flow and the flora and fauna should not be disturbed. Yet this condition was flouted, Kumar said.
