Mumbai: Wetland destruction will make 5 lakh birds fly helter-skelter

The ambitious Navi Mumbai International Airport NMIA now under construction may help ease Mumbai air traffic congestion but it is bound to face the risk of massive bird hits due to nonstop destruction of wetlands and mangroves in the projects vicinity environmentalists have told the DGCA and Indian Pilots GuildThe green groups have written a separate letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi drawing his attention to the continued burial of wetlands and mangroves in 5 to 20 km of the airport project Letters to the Maharashtra government regarding the birdhit risks in Navi Mumbai airport zone have been ignored as the destruction of wetlands and mangroves is going even now Hence this SOS said the environment groupsThe letters have also been marked to the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Union and State Environment Ministers apart from Chief Minister Uddhav ThackerayWetland getting covered with mudThe green group pointed out that wetlands such as Panje and Bhendkhal in Navi Mumbais Uran area that are destination to at least five lakh of local and migratory birds are being systematically destroyed for various infrastructure projects like Navi Mumbai SEZThis could lead to the birds going helterskelter and finding safe refuge in the high secure airport zone Bombay Natural History Society BNHS has already written to former as well as current Chief Ministers but there has been no visible action to save the ecosensitive sites the environment focused NatConnect Foundation and Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan said in their letter to DGCA appealing to the regulator to take a serious note of the dangersIt is really sad that the government has been turning a blind eye to the grave danger despite the BNHS warnings said B N Kumar of NatConnect Foundation We have been shouting from the rooftops against the destruction of wetlands and mangroves under the guise of infrastructure development such as Navi Mumbai SEZ Though the landfill has been stopped in some places the destruction is rampant all across Uran Kumar saidWe are not against development but it has to be balanced with ecology and safety of human beings Kumar saidNMIA is surrounded by several wetlands that are home to birds some of which are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act per BNHS A baseline report by the Society commissioned by CIDCO for the airport also cautioned against the disappearance of the wetlandsCIDCO is the biggest culprit of environment destruction said Nandakumar Pawar of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan We have already demanded the scrapping of NMSEZ which is antienvironment The illegal landfill and blocking of free flow of tidal waters has already led to floods in 20 villages he said and wondered What is the point in having such projects that endanger the environment and human livesBNHS director Deepak Apte said in his letters to former and present CMs the three major roosting sites in the vicinity of NMIA which provide safe refuge to the birds are being filled by NMSEZ Though birds prefer wetlands in the absence of the safe places they could flock to high ground airport zone which could provide them safe refugeEnvironmentalists for long have been demanding Panje to be declared a bird sanctuary as it attracts 10000 to 140000 birds depending on the season NatConnect has even requested the Union Environment Ministry to accord the status of a Samsar Wetland to Panje under the global accord to protect wetlandsThe Wetlands Grievance Reddressal Committee has also asked CIDCO and Raigad District Collector to maintain Panje as a wetland allow free flow of water to the place to be included in the wetland atlasYet lamented Kumar CIDCO has included the vast 289 hectare wetland stretching from Panje to Dongari under its Development Plan for Dronagiri marking the area as Sectors 16 to 28We have also protested against noninclusion of Panje in the draft CRZ map and called for redrawing the map Pawar said The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Manageent Authority MCZMA has already declared Panje and Karanja holding ponds as CRZ1 ruling out any constructionFollowing a series of complaints the revenue authorities have filed FIRs against unnamed NMSEZ officials under the Environment Protection Act 1986 for destruction of mangroves and wetlands at Pagote and Bhendkhal They named a dumper truck driver for carrying debris to Panje These are all mere eyewash and protect the high and mighty at the cost of human lives and environment Pawar addedWe sincerely hope that the DGCA and Pilots Guild will take a serious view of the future shocks and the flights with hundreds of passengers could face real danger of bird hits Kumar saidCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates