PMO asks Ministry of Civil Aviation to check bird-hit threats at Navi Mumbai airport

Research body BHNS has repeatedly cautioned the government against destroying the wetlands in areas under the garb of infrastructure development

Reacting to environmentalists’ serious concern over rising bird-hit threats at the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport, the Prime Minister’s Office asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation to look into the issue.

Navi Mumbai-headquartered NGO NatConnect Foundation has drawn the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the fact that the destruction of wetlands in the 15 km to 20 km radius of the airport project has been disturbing the bird flight pattern and causing chaos in the sky.

The NGO, quoting 130-year-old research body BNHS, said that the 289-hectare Panje Wetland in Uran alone attracts 10,000 to 200,000 birds land during the migration seasons.

“Imagine, Sir, 10,000 birds in the sky flying here and there in search of food and resting place when you have flights landing and taking off at the new airport,” the letter to PM said.

“We are happy that the PMO has referred the issue to the right authority, the Ministry of Civil Aviation ministry,” said B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation.

The Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System shows that Ajay Yadav, Director, Civil Aviation, is examining the issue.

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Planning agency CIDCO targets to launch the first phase of the Rs 16,000 crore Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) within the next two years.

Time and again, environment lovers have been complaining about the destruction of the destination of migratory birds around the NMIA by various project proponents such as Navi Mumbai SEZ, JNPT and CIDCO.

BNHS, which is studying the bird flight pattern, has repeatedly cautioned the government against destroying the wetlands in areas under the garb of infrastructure development.

“The beautiful wetland of Panje has to be protected at any cost,” BNHS director Dr Bivash Pandav said during the recent World Migratory Bird Day event organised by NatConnect. Wetlands also act as urban sponges, a natural flood control mechanism, Dr Pandav pointed and warned against future flooding of the urban settlements if these wetlands are buried.

“Now we are even more concerned at the wetland destruction because the Bombay High Court-appointed Mangrove Committee orders to restore the destroyed wetlands have been ignored by the authorities,” said Nandakumar Pawar, head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan, said.