Bird habitat gone to the dumps

A home to winged visitors to the city is on the verge of destruction.

Around 60-hectare wetland near Phunde village in Uran, just 60 km away from Mumbai, has almost vanished posing a grave threat to the very existence of the migratory birds. Uran is known for rich avifauna like flamingos, painted storks, oriental white ibis, grey heron and others.

Kamini Thakur, an intern with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India who is doing a research on wetland, said: “The bird habitat near Phunde has virtually been wiped out due to large-scale reclamation. Around 60 hectare wetland has vanished in last ten days.”

Surprised by the development, Thakur approached Cidco, the owner of the land. But She was advised to submit an application to get information about the reclamation. “The land is apparently allotted for  SEZ and the reclamation is part of the same,” said Thakur.

Dr Goldin Quadros, education officer and interim state director, WWF-India, MSO said, “The large-scale dumping is bound to destroy the wetlands which will eventually result in serious problems for birds coming there.”

The wetland is home to the winged visitors and a most sought-after destination of birders. But the reclamation that began around ten days back has destroyed it, Quadros said, adding, “If the authorities fail to check the reclamation, the winged visitors of the city will be lost forever.”