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Monday, Apr 18, 2011
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National

When the pink birds set the hearts aflutter

Vinaya Deshpande

Mumbai may lose its winged visitors

MUMBAI: Groups of children jumped with joy as they gazed at thousands of pink, white and grey-coloured flamingoes on the sheet of Sewri-Mahul mudflats here. The occasion was the annual flamingo festival organised by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) here on Saturday. “This is so beautiful! Most of the flamingoes here are Lesser Flamingoes. There are a few Greater Flamingoes as well,” Chirag Singhal, a Std. V student of the Navy Children's School said, as he repeated all the information he had gathered from the exhibition arranged there on the winged visitors.

But the happiness that thousands of Mumbaikars have been experiencing every year since 2007 may not last for long.

“This is the same location which is proposed to be the starting point of the Sewri-Nhava trans-harbour link. This site can be developed as a world-class tourist area if some basic facilities are provided here. The trans-harbour link can be developed around these mudflats so that the flamingoes will also attract visitors. We are not against development. We don't object to the trans-harbour link, but if it is planned 500-700 metres away from here, we will be able to get the best of both the worlds. The trans-harbour link should be developed with the flamingoes as the main attraction,” Asad Rahmani, Director, BNHS told The Hindu.

‘Need for study, protection'

“Mudflats are not wastelands. We need to change our approach. These are the habitats for such species. We need to protect them. Unfortunately, they do not come under the Forest Conservation Act. But the government should understand that they should not mess around with these areas. We need to preserve them and work around them,” he said.

The Sewri-Mahul mudflats are surrounded by huge industrial areas and oil refineries which release large amount of waste into the marsh. “There has been no study on the impact of pollution on these birds. There are a lot of chances of mutation due to such high levels of pollution. This needs to be studied,” Mirium Abraham, conservation officer, BNHS, said.

Within a decade from the time when bird-lovers first sighted a large number of flamingoes at the mudflats here, the pink birds are turning into a huge rage. The BNHS has been organising the flamingo festival every year since 2007.

This time, people from all age groups and professions came down braving the scorching sun to see the flamingoes and many other waders (water birds). The enthusiasm was palpable.

“We have such heavenly sites in the midst of so much of pollution. Coming here was such a respite. We should protect such sites,” Rama Darvekar, a middle-aged housewife said. She was so excited about the sight that she got a pink flamingo tattooed on her arm.

Children were the most impressed with the tattoos and many got the white spoonbill or the black and white ibis tattoo on their cheeks, foreheads, arms and hands. “The response has been overwhelming,” Kaustubh Bhagat, education officer, BNHS, who put the small tattoos on the children's hands, said.

Rahul Hasabnis, a standard VIII student who had come with his entire family including grandparents, was also excited about the visit. “Now that I have seen how beautiful these birds are and how close they are, I will bring all my friends here,” he said.

“The pink colour in the background of green mangroves and blue skies looks so amazing! We all had a lot of fun here,” he said.

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