Thane, February 27 Environmentalists on Friday said that the Maharashtra government must expedite the process of formally protecting the DPS Flamingo Lake in Navi Mumbai.
While the Maharashtra State Wildlife Board, under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, declared the lake a "conservation reserve" in April last year, the mandatory Government Resolution (GR) to formalize it is still pending, they pointed out.
As a result, the management of the lake has not been transferred to the forest department, leaving the wetland under the control of CIDCO, which still designates the area as a developable land parcel, the environmentalists said.
It is vital that the GR be issued without further delay to ensure unified conservation, NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar said.
The lake serves as a vital high-tide refuge for birds from the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary.
Experts noted that flamingo arrivals in Mumbai have been delayed this year.
Mrugank Prabhu, a senior scientist at Srushti Conservation Foundation, stated that large congregations are currently in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch due to favorable water levels, with movement towards Mumbai expected by mid-March.
"Habitat quality is a determining factor. If ecological conditions worsen due to restricted tidal flow, these iconic visitors will shift to alternative sites," said Sandeep Sareen of Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society.