In a significant development for environmental conservation, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has pledged to advance plans to designate DPS Flamingo Lake in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, as a conservation reserve. This initiative comes in response to a government committee's recommendations aimed at protecting the 30-acre wetland, which has been a vital habitat for migratory flamingos.

The committee was formed following a troubling series of flamingo deaths in the area, prompting urgent action to safeguard the local ecosystem. In a meeting with B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, Naik expressed his commitment to the cause and assured that he would follow up on the committee's recommendations.

Kumar presented Naik with a detailed report obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, outlining the necessary steps to preserve the lake and its surrounding environment. Naik promptly forwarded the report to Milind Mhaiskar, additional chief secretary of the forest department, signaling a proactive approach to the issue.

The committee's recommendations also included directives for CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation) to address critical choke points that hinder the intertidal water flow to the lake.

Despite reminders from the State Mangrove Cell, CIDCO has yet to take action leaving the waterbody in a deteriorating state filled with muck and moss, which has deterred flamingos from visiting, according to Sandeep Sareen, an activist with the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS).

NatConnect Foundation has also highlighted the commitments made by Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) to protect the biodiversity surrounding the airport project. Reports submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) indicated that CIDCO and NMIAL would implement measures to preserve the wetlands, as recommended by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).