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According to the police, over 30 flamingos were killed in Mumbai after reportedly being struck by an aircraft. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident, while environmental activists have raised concern about the negligence of urban planners despite prior warning.
The authorities have recovered a total of 32 flamingo carcasses from the Ghatkopar area. A police official mentioned that the birds were hit by the aircraft before it landed on Monday night.
Pawan Sharma, the founder of the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and an honorary wildlife warden with the forest department, stated that several reports were received from individuals who had spotted dead birds in Ghatkopar.
During a search operation conducted by the forest department’s mangrove cell and RAWW teams, 29 dead flamingos were discovered in the area on Monday night.
On Tuesday, three additional carcasses were discovered lifeless, as stated by him.
According to Sharma, stray dogs scavenged a few birds that had fallen to the ground, and some locals also noticed certain animal body parts.
He mentioned that the carcasses were sent for an autopsy and would be disposed of later in accordance with the established protocols.
Chinmay Joshi, the secretary of RAWW and a zoologist, emphasized the need for the airport authorities to review and revise the Wildlife Conflict Mitigation and Management Plan. This should be done through a thorough evaluation of the situation in collaboration with the forest department and wildlife experts. The objective is to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
Disasters waiting to happen
The director of NatConnect Foundation, B N Kumar, has issued a statement expressing his concern over the recent incidents involving an Emirates aircraft hitting a flock of birds. In an email sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Kumar has requested a thorough investigation to determine how the birds were not detected on the pilot’s radar. The foundation which focuses on environmental causes, has described the incident as a disaster waiting to happen.
Kumar further emphasized that if any passengers had been affected by the bird strike, it would have garnered global attention. However, he expressed disappointment that the death of 40 flamingos seems to be of little concern to the authorities, particularly urban planners.
This incident serves as a warning to humanity about the potential disasters that lie ahead according to Mrugank Prabhu, a researcher from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). The flamingos were reportedly on their way back from Mumbai to Gujarat when the incident occurred.
Nearly one hundred thousand Flamingos migrate to the Thane Creek Flamingos Sanctuary, a Ramsar site, according to NatConnect.
Navi Mumbai airport may face the same issues
The NGO, in collaboration with other environmental organizations, has been running a series of campaigns to protect Mumbai’s biodiversity, wetlands, and mangroves. They have warned that the upcoming international airport in neighboring Navi Mumbai may face similar issues.
Despite alerts from organizations like BNHS, the wetlands and flamingos habitats in Navi Mumbai are being destroyed systematically, the release stated.
If the birds are unable to reach their usual destinations, they may end up at the Navi Mumbai airport site, which has mudflats along the Panvel Creek.
No information about bird sanctuary from government
The state government’s wildlife mitigation measures for the Atal Setu include the establishment of bird sanctuary at Sewri-Mahul, NRI-TS Chanakya, Panje-Dongri wetlands, and other locations, as stated in the release.
Kumar expressed concern about the lack of information regarding the protection of the wetlands despite the operational status of the Atal Setu.
NatConnect highlighted that the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport, as per its Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report, has committed to preserving the wetlands identified by BNHS.
Furthermore, the EIA submitted for the renewal of the environmental clearance (EC) for the Navi Mumbai airport mentioned the cancellation of the golf course planned on the NRI wetlands.
NatConnect expressed optimism that wetlands would be protected, but unfortunately, the destruction of water bodies continues. Mumbai Creek and its surrounding wetlands are vital habitats for these birds, emphasized Nareshchandra Singh, an activist from Kharghar.
Singh stressed the importance of maintaining the ecological and environmental equilibrium in these habitats to prevent similar incidents in the future. Sandip Sareen from the Navi Mumbai Environmental Presentation Society described the incident as deeply distressing.
