Flamingo habitats face decline as wetlands turn toxic in Navi Mumbai

Climate activists have sounded a 'wetland emergency', as three key flamingo habitats in Navi Mumbai have turned toxic, with tests of water samples revealing alarming results.

Activists flagged the deteriorating condition of the DPS, NRI, and T S Chanakya lakes at Nerul, which serve as satellite wetlands for the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS), a Ramsar site.

Flamingo season in Navi Mumbai is from November to May, with January to March seen as the peak viewing time, as bird lovers and enthusiasts gather at wetlands to catch a glimpse of the pink parade.

Water sample tests commissioned by the NatConnect Foundation indicate a system under severe stress, activists have stated in messages sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The warning is reinforced by the absence of flamingos, which have not arrived this season, said B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation.

Four basic indicators - TDS, pH, BOD and COD - paint a consistent picture of decline. The results showed over-concentrated, stagnant water rather than natural tidal flushing.

"Put simply, all four indicators tell the same story-the water is not moving as it should in a healthy intertidal wetland," Kumar said, pointing to blocked or restricted tidal flow.

Instead of being regularly flushed, the wetlands are turning into stagnant, polluted basins.

Activists squarely blame governance failure.

The City And Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is "largely responsible for what has happened," Climate activist Nandakumar Pawar said, adding that regulators such as the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and the forest department have "simply looked the other way".

The wetlands, he warned, are a public asset being destroyed in plain sight.

Flamingos depend on algae and microorganisms that thrive in balanced conditions. As water quality deteriorates, the food chain collapses, turning feeding grounds into stressed habitats.

While flamingos have adapted to degraded sites in the past, their absence now suggests the system may have crossed a critical threshold.

"These wetlands were our pride. Today, they are being destroyed in full view," said Rekha Sankhala of Save Flamingos and Mangroves Forum, urging authorities to treat the situation as a public health emergency.

Calling for accountability, Sandeep Sareen of Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS) said the lab results expose "toxic waters" driven by unchecked development.

"CIDCO's apathy - putting concrete over conservation - is destroying these wetlands despite court orders," he said, warning that flamingos are "the canary in our ecosystem's coal mine."

"CIDCO's deliberate neglect in a time of climate crisis has put groundwater and biodiversity at risk, and we urge immediate government intervention to save these wetlands," activist Pamela Cheema said.
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