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News & Views
ENVIRONMENTAL WONDER
The coast along the ten kilometre long mudflats at Sewri, in Mumbai
are ringed by industrial giants: BARC, ONGC and the Tata Electrical
Companies. Also the Port Trust jetties have been here for a long
time. Effluents from the companies and the jetties find their way
into the mangroves and mudflats. The perfect setting for an
environmental disaster. However, truth is indeed stranger than
fiction, because year after year flamingoes and other migratory
birds, have chosen this very area as their habitat, during this time
of the year. The flamingoes come all the way from Central Africa, a
north-east passage of about fifteen thousand kilometres.
The Sewri mudflats are covered mostly by mangroves. Ten mangrove
species and thirteen mangrove-associated species flourish here. They
support diverse life forms, which include algae and crustaceans. And
the strange part: the effluents from the different sources raise the
temperature of the water by a few degrees. This natural concoction,
unwittingly aided by man-made effluents, makes the mudflats an ideal
habitat
for flamingoes and other migratory bird species.
The graceful pink flamingoes are the star attraction of this show,
which commences around the end of September and goes on till
February. Apart from the flamingoes, bird watchers are reported to
have identified a mind boggling 150 bird species at Sewri. Several
Central Asian species migrate to this part of the globe, because of
the severe winter and the lack of food in their homelands. The
Eastern Imperial Eagle and the Oriental White-backed Vulture are the
prominent visitors from Central Asia. The other birds include, the
Western Reef Heron, Redshank and Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper,
Brown-headed Gull, several varieties of Tern and the Eurasian Marsh
Harrier. These species do not breed here. They feed mainly on
bivalves, snails, tiny fish and algae, which are found in abundance
in these waters.
The proposed Sewri-Nhava Sheva sea link will pass through this very
area. This has caused concern among environmentalists about the
future of this natural sanctuary. However reassurance comes from the
MSRDC. They have stated that this environmental factor has been
considered and the sea-link has been realigned so that it does not
harm the flamingoes and other birds and only a very small portion of
the mangroves will be affected. Also, the MSRDC has pledged to grow
around
three acres of mangroves to make up for this loss.
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