Birds give Uran the miss as wetlands vanish

NAVI MUMBAI: Strange, how things can change in the span of a year. While last year, flamingos thronged the wetlands of Uran taluka, this year, the winged visitors have skipped their annual migratory venue, which is now completely destroyed due to mud-filling. This is a telling indication of the monumental ecological disaster that has taken place in Uran.
On Thursday, two MPs, Supriya Sule and Sanjeev Naik, visited Uran taluka to check for the ecological damage that has been going on in the area.The move follows complaints sent to the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).
However, environmentalists feel that the work to create special economic zones (SEZs) and other private reclamations has destroyed the bio-diversity and wreaked havoc in the area.
“Various NGOs have been complaining about the destruction of mangroves and wetlands at Uran for nearly three years. Birds like flamingos are barely seen at Uran now; and we hope that the visit of the MPs helps stem the damage,’’ said D Stalin of Conservation Action Trust (CAT).
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), the main landowner of the wetland plot opposite Nhava-Sheva police station, had given the contract for earth-filling at the spot to Blue Star Company at a cost of approximately Rs 43 crore. The mud-filling work was carried out from November 2009 to June 2010.
JNPT trustee Bhushan Patil is himself unhappy by this development. “As a trustee, I had earlier raised the issue of earth-filling destroying the natural habitat and also the social impact this will have on local villagers. But the JNPT honchos reasoned that they had all the necessary environmental clearances to reclaim the land.’’
Patil added that close to 1,000 acres of land in Uran (including the plot opposite Nhava-Sheva police station) belongs to JNPT, which has given contracts to four companies (including Blue Star) to do earth-filling at these four places for reclamation.
Bio-diversity researcher at Uran, Nitin Walmiki, added: “We are shocked and saddened by the fact that most of the mudflats where the birdlife existed have been completely wrecked and reclaimed for constructions. I, too, hope that Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh finally takes strong action to plug the damage at this late stage.’’
Assistant police inspector Vikram Jagtap of Nhava-Sheva police station, told TOI: “The view outside our police station was a pretty sight till last year when various types of birds were spotted in the wetlands. However, now the area is filled up with mud and debris, so we no longer see the birds here.’’
Meanwhile, the two MPs, Sule and Naik, have promised to return to Uran next month with a team of experts to properly investigate the matter and report the same to the Union environment minister.