Polluted Water at Navi Mumbai's DPS Flamingo Lake Exceeds Limits Nine Times
Polluted creek water entering DPS Flamingo Lake in Navi Mumbai during high tide has caused severe water contamination, with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels exceeding nine times the permissible limit. Recent laboratory tests commissioned by the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society and the NatConnect Foundation revealed that the degraded water chemistry has led to a sharp decline in flamingo sightings at the wetland, which is part of the Ramsar-listed Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary ecosystem.
Laboratory analysis of the tidal inflow water recorded TDS at 19,600 mg/l, significantly higher than the permissible limit of 2,100 mg/l under IS 2490:1974 inland surface water standards. The sample failed to conform to the prescribed water quality norms.
This is not the first time the lake has shown extreme pollution levels. A water sample collected from the lake in March recorded TDS at 21,720 mg/l. Additionally, a drain discharging into the wetland in April showed TDS levels of 7,950 mg/l and a Biochemical Oxygen Demand of 36.4 mg/l, which also exceeded permissible limits. All three tested samples failed to meet inland water quality standards.
The contamination directly impacts the local flamingo populations. These birds depend on a narrow range of water chemistry and salinity conditions that sustain algae, diatoms, and microscopic invertebrates, which form their primary food base.
Sandeep Sareen of the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society explained that the deteriorating water quality is steadily eroding the lake's ecological balance and shrinking its food base. He noted that while flamingos can tolerate natural salinity, they cannot thrive in waters carrying a cocktail of sewage, urban runoff, and other contaminants.
NatConnect director B N Kumar stated that the toxic mix of polluted tidal inflows and extensive blue-green algal mats appeared to have pushed DPS Flamingo Lake towards an ecological tipping point.
Local environmentalists have stated that the continuing pollution underscores an urgent need to expedite the final Government Resolution to grant Conservation Reserve status to DPS Flamingo Lake, which would ensure stronger legal protection for the site.
