Flamingos begin to fly back to DPS Lake as tidal water flow partially restored

Navi Mumbai: Pink avian beauties have begun to return to the DPS Flamingo Lake at Nerul in Navi Mumbai after nearly three years as the intertidal water flow to the wetland has been partially restored, environmentalists said.

This is wonderful even as the State Mangrove Cell proposal for declaring the lake as a Conservation Reserve is pending action from the government, NatConnect Foundation said.

Environmentalists, who have been relentlessly campaigning to restore the damaged DPS Flamingo Lake following the blockage of tidal water flow by vested interests, are now happy that “some water flow is being noticed now”, NatConnect Director B N Kumar said.

But there are still miles to go before the lake is fully restored, Kumar said after a joint site inspection of the site on Saturday with local Mangrove Cell officials to check the latest situation following Forest Minister Ganesh Naik’s instructions to open the blocked water channels. 

Kharghar Wetlands and Hills Forum co-convenor Jyoti Nadkarni, who also joined the site visit, lamented that CIDCO has been dilly-dallying in restoring full water flow to the lake which has so far forced the flamingos to skip the waterbody, Jyoti Nadkarni.

With the limited water flow, almost 60 % to 70% of the algae which accumulated in the lake has been cleared, Range Forest Officer Sudhir Manjare said.  The two inlets will have to be lowered for the tidal water to enter and exit with full force, he observed.

State Forest Minister Ganesh Naik had earlier assured NatConnect Foundation that he has instructed Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and CIDCO officials to do the needful without any further delay to ensure that water flow is uninterrupted. "Don't worry,I will not rest until the DPS lake blooms with flamingos all over again,"Naik said.

DPS Flamingo Lake is part of the Ramsar site Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary’s satellite wetland ecosystem. Many flamingos fly to the satellite wetlands such as Panje, DPS Lake, and NRI and T S Chanakya wetlands during the high tide in the creek for resting and in search of food.

“We sincerely hope that wiser counsel will prevail on CIDCO and they will help rejuvenate the lake fully to its old glory,” said Rekha Sankhaka of Save Navi Mumbai Flamingos and Mangroves forum.