Align city plans to conserve Navi Mumbai's DPS Flamingo Lake: NGT panel tells CIDCO

Mumbai: In a significant development, a joint inspection committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO) to take concrete measures to conserve Navi Mumbai’s iconic DPS Flamingo Lake.

These include ensuring the free flow of intertidal water and aligning the Development Plan (DP) with the ecological needs of migratory birds.

The committee also asked the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to undertake corrective steps to preserve the flamingo habitat.

CIDCO, however, halted NMMC’s efforts to repair a key water channel at DPS Flamingo Lake, citing Coastal Regulation Zone restrictions. As a result, one of the crucial channels remains blocked, hampering the mangrove cell's attempts to clear dense algae and restore suitable landing conditions for flamingos, said NatConnect Director B N Kumar.

The toxic algae remains stuck on the lake, causing flamingos to fly over the wetland without landing there, said Sandeep Dareen of Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS).

NatConnect Foundation has since approached the State Wetland Authority regarding these alleged violations. “It could be a case of contempt of court,” Kumar said, noting that a high-level state-appointed committee had earlier directed CIDCO to maintain water flow while recommending Conservation Reserve status for the wetland. CIDCO violated this too.

The NGT’s Pune-based Western Zonal Bench constituted the panel while hearing a case related to the death of seven flamingos at the lake last year. The matter was taken up after the Principal Bench initiated suo motu proceedings based on media reports highlighting concerns raised by NatConnect Foundation.

The committee comprised officials from the Forest Department, the State Wetland Authority, the Thane district collectorate, along with representatives from NMMC and CIDCO.

In view of reports suggesting light pollution as a possible factor in the flamingo deaths, the panel recommended further study of global migratory patterns and the impact of artificial lighting on birds.

In its order dated April 28, 2026, the Bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and Dr. Sujit Kumar Bajpayee took the joint inspection committee report on record and directed CIDCO to have the committee’s recommendations evaluated by an expert agency such as the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) and submit a report within two months.

As CIDCO’s counsel raised concerns about the potential impact of flamingos on the Navi Mumbai International Airport, the Bench directed SACON to examine this aspect as well.

Addressing these concerns, Kumar cited information obtained under the RTI Act, stating that the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) had already allayed similar apprehensions raised by Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL).

According to BNHS, migratory birds in the Thane Creek area typically fly at low altitudes—generally below 50 metres above sea level—while moving between feeding and roosting sites, whereas aircraft operate at significantly higher altitudes.

Wetlands such as DPS, NRI, and TS Chanakya lakes serve as roosting sites for birds during high tide, with migratory species flying close to the water surface when moving between feeding and resting areas. This finding is part of NMIAL’s compliance report submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Kumar added.