The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has issued a tender to replace the current LED lights with yellow ones along the elevated road to the Water Transport Terminal at Nerul Jetty. The project is expected to be completed within two months after the contract is awarded.
Environmentalists have expressed serious concerns after approximately 17 flamingos died and several others were injured during their seasonal migration. They suspect light pollution may contribute to these incidents in Nerul, Navi Mumbai.
As per the proposal, the existing white LED lights will be replaced with yellow LED lights on the elevated road near the Nerul jetty, with an estimated project cost of around Rs 27 lakhs.
Environmentalists argue that the white LED lights are disruptive to birds, interfering with their natural flight paths. In response to the flamingo deaths, teams from the Mangrove Cell, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), along with environmental activists, conducted inspections at the DPS Flamingo Lake and Nerul Jetty.
Navi Mumbai NatConnect Foundation and Save Flamingos & Mangroves have raised the issue with several concerned agencies.
Preliminary observations from BNHS officials suggest that the change in street lighting could have disoriented the birds, causing some to land on the road.
During a site visit, Dr. Rahul Khot, Deputy Director of BNHS, told LokmatTimes.com that this was the second incident in two weeks where flamingos had died. "The LED lights installed at the newly constructed jetty in Nerul may have disoriented the birds during their early morning flights, leading them to crash into obstacles," said Dr. Khot.
It is noteworthy that B. N. Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation, had previously raised concerns about light pollution when flamingos began crashing into a large signboard across the jetty road. In response, CIDCO’s Joint Managing Director promptly ordered the dismantling of the signboard and its frame.
Although this action was delayed, it is a welcome step, according to NatConnect Foundation director B. N. Kumar. He pointed out that migratory birds, particularly flamingos, flying low while landing and taking off at the DPS Flamingo Lake, have been getting disoriented due to light pollution.
As the Flamingo Lake dried up and the bright lights persisted, the birds continued to become disoriented, often landing on Palm Beach Road and being struck by speeding vehicles. BNHS had suggested to NMMC and CIDCO to replace the bright lights and adjust the lamps' angles to 45 degrees, directing the light downward to protect the birds from light pollution.
“The shades over the bulbs should be positioned at a 45-degree angle so that the light is directed downward, not sideways, which can affect the vision of migratory birds,” advised Dr. Khot.
Every year, over 100,000 flamingos migrate to the wetlands of Navi Mumbai and Thane Creek. Dr. Khot from BNHS noted that they will begin migrating to Gujarat once the monsoon arrives in the city.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Sareen of Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS) expressed the hope that wiser counsel would prevail on CIDCO and that the city planner would behave in a pro-environment manner.