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Sewree becomes breeding ground for flamingos

Last Updated 19 March 2016, 18:48 IST

Sewree in the western seafront of Mumbai has emerged as a haven for flamingos as huge flocks of these majestic birds migrate to the mudflats. Now these are also seen in Uran, Airoli creek, Thane and some parts of Vasai in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The flamingos at Sewree have been part of the nature tourism in Mumbai.

However, it faces challenges as well-- discharge and dumping of  industrial waste along the seashores and also the proposed Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) that would connect Sewree in Mumbai to Nhava across the Mumbai harbour.

Flamingos were first spotted in Mumbai in 1994. After greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) were seen, the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) joined hands with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS-India) to protect the environs and help in promoting wildlife tourism in this megapolis. They start arriving in October, nesting in mud-flats and leave before the onset of monsoon.

In 1996, the mangrove swamps of Sewree were declared a protected ecology. Depending on the tide, from the Sewree jetty one can see thousands of flamingos just a few metres away. The MTHL's starting point poses a threat to over 30,000 lesser flamingos and greater flamingos and the critical mangrove habitat, which is a haven for several migratory birds, particularly waders.

“It is essential that we protect these. The MTHL has to be realigned a bit to protect them. It may increase the cost, but by doing so we would be doing a great service to nature,” said veteran naturalist and conservationists Bittu Sahgal, the editor of Sanctuary Asia.
“This place is very important...we watch not just flamingos, but little stints, godwits, curlews and common terns, and mixed flocks of small and median egrets and white-breasted  Kingfisher and several others,” he said.

“It is a nature hotspot,” adds Dr Deepak Apte, the Director of BNHS-India. In fact, last year, the BNHS-India had submitted a report to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is the nodal agency for the MTHL. Last year, the Maharashtra Government had created a flamingo sanctuary along the Thane creek.

The Thane Creek Flaming Sanctuary  is located along  the Thane Creek, between the Airoli and Vashi bridges that connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai. It would come under the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit and Thane Forests Division.

However, conservationists point out that it is also essential that the Sewree population of flamingos are protected as it is key to the flamingos found in the MMR.

Dr Parvish Pandya, Associate Professor in Zoology at Bhawan’s College, who is a wildlife and environment consultant, said: “It is imperative that the younger generation and children are told about the importance of birds and of mangroves. We must inculcate interest in them about nature and conservation.” Most of these birds, which are found here, arrive from the Great Rann of Kutch in neighbouring Gujarat. Some palaeontologists and ornithologists believe that they are the birds, which are a link between the family of birds comprising storks, herons, ibises, spoonbills and cranes and the group that comprises ducks, swans and geese.

While greater flamingos are one of the tallest birds found in India (average height of nearly four feet), the lesser flamingos compensate for their shorter stature with their colour's richness. While the bigger ones have light pink legs and a few streaks of pink on their feathers, the smaller ones have deep pink feathers and almost red legs and a black bill. In the twilight, they look like flames and hence the name has been derived.

Besides Great Rann of Kutch, they are also found in Point Calimere in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, Chilka in Odisha and Sambhar in Rajasthan. In Maharashtra a few are also seen in Solapur and Aurangabad.

High-security zone

The Sewree-Mahul stretch, which also houses the Sewree Mangrove Park, is an ideal place for these birds. Besides, it is a high-security zone which discourages people from going there without justified reasons. The area falls under the port zone and has defence installations and oil refineries in the neighbouring areas. But what has attracted them to Mumbai? They like saline and alkaline water. Soda lakes, salt lagoons and mud-flats form the habitat of flamingos for their food which chiefly comprises crustaceans, worms and blue-green algae, which are plenty in alkaline waters.

The Sewree-Mahul region has been identified as an Important Bird Area by the BNHS and the BirdLife International. It is also proposed as a Ramsar Site by the BNHS. “The entire population of flamingos will vanish if the link is constructed from its current location as it will pass right through the mudflats where thousands of flamingos come to feed every year. It is a matter of concern for all of us,” said Sahgal.

“A few Mumbai residents realise just how fortunate they are to be living in a city garlanded by mangroves. Not only do these miraculous plants protect us from being battered by tidal waves and high-velocity winds, they also offer spectacular sights such as these flamingos, plus something like 2 million waders and migratory water birds that arrive each year to rest and recuperate in the magnificent Thane creek region,” he adds.

Sewri (also pronounced as Shivdi or Sewree) was a small hamlet on the eastern shore of the Parel island, one of the original 7 islands of Bombay. Sewri has a fort that dates back to 1770.


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(Published 19 March 2016, 18:00 IST)

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