Airoli flamingo sanctuary will open to public in April

By April, Mumbaikars would be able to take a walk through a mangrove forest and observe a flamboyance of flamingos and other migratory birds right within the heart of the Thane creek. The state’s much awaited flamingo sanctuary will be thrown open to the public in April, said sources from the state forest department. The information was provided at an exhibition, organised by the mangrove cell at Airoli, to celebrate World Wetland Day on Tuesday.

The state had on August 2015 announced that 1,690 hectares of the western bank of the Thane creek between Airoli and Vashi bridge would be preserved as a flamingo sanctuary. The forest department had also tied up with a German government agency, GIZ, to create a marine interpretation centre (MIC) along the coast of the creek. The project was supposed to be completed by January this year but due to technical reasons the deadline was missed.

The building and other infrastructure requirements of the MIC have been put in place by the forest department and they are waiting for GIC to bring in equipments for the centre. The MIC is slated to have mechanical and multi-sensory exhibits of crabs crawling out of mudflats and even of turtles laying eggs, said a source from the mangrove cell. “We will soon install air-conditioners and there are a few other minor works that needs to be completed before we get the equipments from Germany,” said the source.

Speaking further on plans for the sanctuary, Sanjay Madi, divisional forest officer said, “Landscaping will be done in the area around MIC. Also, the boardwalk will be extended further into the creek. There will also be boat rides from Diva jetty and other parts of the creek to enable tourists get a closer look at the migratory birds. And we are confident that all the work will be completed and the sanctuary will be opened to the public in April.”

The boardwalk is a bamboo bridge that has been built on stilts and it runs across a part of the mangrove forest at the creek. It opens out to the mudflat where scores of flamingos and others birds feed. However, Mr Madi assured that its extension and the boat rides would be planned in a way so that the birds are not disturbed.

Commenting on the matter, bird watcher and environmentalist Nandakumar Pawar said that it is unlikely that flamingos would be adversely affected by the presence of people in the vicinity. “Usually flamingos do not bother if there are people nearby. They take some time to get used to the human presence and afterwards are unaffected by it,” Mr Pawar said. He also stated that letting people visit the sanctuary is a step towards sensitising people about the importance of mangroves and its role in the ecosystem.