Flamingo Deaths in Navi Mumbai: Light Pollution Suspected After 10 Birds Die in a Week

Initial studies suggest that light pollution may have played a role in the recent tragedies involving several flamingos in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. The toll continues to rise, with two more flamingos succumbing to their injuries at a clinic in Thane, bringing the total number of casualties to 10 within a week. Forest department officials are currently overseeing the treatment of five injured birds.

Teams comprising members from the Mangrove Cell, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, alongside environmental enthusiasts, conducted thorough inspections around the DPS Flamingo Lake to identify potential choke points disrupting the natural water flow.

The visit followed alarms raised by NatConnect Foundation and Save Flamingos & Mangroves after the sudden spate of flamingo deaths around DPS Lake. Officials from BNHS in their preliminary observations opined that the change in the street lights could have resulted in disorientation of the birds and thus some of them could have landed on the road.

While talking to LokmatTimes.Com Dr Rahul Khot, Deputy Director of BHNS said that this was the second incident within two weeks where flamingos died. “Such incidents have been noticed first time where 8 to 10 flamingos died within two weeks,” said Dr Khot. He added that the LED light installed at the newly constructed jetty in Nerul could have caused the disorientation of birds while flying in the morning. The birds could have crashed into obstacles while flying early in the morning.

However, Dr Khot believes that such an incident will not impact much on the arrival of the birds. “If the problem persists, we will have more instances of birds getting injured or walking on the road,” said Dr Khod, adding that they will visit the nearby wetlands in case there is a repeated incident.

It is recalled that B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation had raised the issue of light pollution when flamingos began crashing into a gigantic sign board across the jetty road. Then CIDCO joint managing director quickly responded and had the sign board and the frame dismantled.

Now that the sign board does not exist anymore, there is no other apparent reason for the bird to have crashed, Dr Khot observed. He suggested to the NMMC engineers to change the lights in patches off Palm Beach Road toward DSP School and then near the Nerul Jetty road. “The shade over the bulbs should be at a 45-degree angle so that the light flows downward and not sideward, which can impact the vision of the migratory birds,” Dr Khot said.

Also Read| Navi Mumbai: Flamingos Death Near DPS Lake Spark Concern Among Environmentalists, Toll Rises to 8 in One Week

Deepak Khade, Divisional Forest Officer of Mangrove Cell-Mumbai, led the forest department’s team checking all the inlets. Khade will submit his report to the Mangrove Cell head V S Ramarao, who is also the additional principal chief conservator of forests.

Vanashakti director Stalin D also showed the blocked channels to the teams. The inlets which were opened by the forest department officials earlier are being blocked time and again. One of the main blockages is at the southern end of the DPS Flamingo Lake while laying road to the yet-to-be utilised Nerul jetty. CIDCO contractors recklessly buried the channel, the inspection teams were told. “This is exactly why we sought the intervention at the highest level from the Chief Minister for directions to CIDCO,” Kumar said.

Every year, more than one lakh flamingos arrive in wetlands of Navi Mumbai and Thane Creek. Dr Khot from BNHS said that they will start moving to Gujarat once the monsoon arrives in the city.