Inlets in Talave flamingo wetlands found blocked

Citizen activism got the forest officials to act in record time to remove the man-made blockages created to prevent free flow of tidal water into the Talave Wetlands frequented by the Greater Flamingos last week

NAVI MUMBAI: Citizen activism got the forest officials to act in record time to remove the man-made blockages created to prevent free flow of water into the Talave Wetlands frequented by the Greater Flamingos last week. On Tuesday afternoon, the forest officer along with other officials and activists laboured to free the inlets of the illegally erected concrete gates.

Inlets allowing water to flow into Talave wetlands during high tide were found blocked. Forest officials removed the blockage after residents raised alarm (HT PHOTO)

“The area doesn’t fall under forest department. In fact, it is found to be the jurisdiction of the Salt department and CIDCO. Nevertheless, since we were informed about the damage caused to the wetlands, it was decided to take quick action. We did struggle to remove the gates constructed, but were eventually successful to get the water flow into the wetlands,” said Bapu Gadade, the Range Forest officer (RFO).

The activists lately observed that the area, known as the destination for greater flamingos, witnessed various forms of encroachments, and a similar episode had occurred even on Monday evening. Residents taking an evening walk alongside the wetlands were surprised to find the area completely dried.

“This is the season when the wetlands have hundreds of greater flamingos visiting but on Monday evening, there were no birds to be found and neither was there water. The large portion of the wetland was totally dry and parched. Since I am aware of the misdoings happening in this area, I decided to inspect the inlets from where the water flows in during the high tide,” said Bharat Gupta, a resident of Phase 2 NRI Colony.

The resident was in for a surprise, not only was the inlet blocked with cement bags, but there was a gate constructed. “There was a gate constructed right at the inlet and a lock was also put up to prevent water from flowing into the area. This is the most brazen manner in which those wanting to usurp this prime area have acted,” said Gupta.

The matter was raised on social media along with photos and GPS location of the blockage. As a chain reaction, activists raised the matter with the forest officials. “Conserving nature should be a joint effort, only then it will yield the desired impact. I happened to read about the issue in a group in the morning and decided to inform the forest department. Just like me, there were multiple complaints raised with the authorities. By afternoon, the forest authorities took cognizance of the matter and visited the site,” said Mahavir Jain, Nerul resident and an activist.

Activists are seeking a permanent solution to the issue and are concerned about the blatant violations going unchecked in the area. “It is intriguing that the construction of the gate went unnoticed because it was done with great deal of planning. The construction was similar to sluice gates found in dams. Nevertheless, now that it has been broken, any further construction or repair works should be considered as an offence and dealt with accordingly,” said Jain.