An environment clearance by a committee, chaired by Union Environment Minister to the Bullet train (Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train corridor) has put the spotlight on the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) in Mumbai.
About:
The Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) is on the western bank of the creek, between the Airoli and the Vashi bridges connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
It consists of 896 hectares of mangrove forests and 794 hectares of waterbodies.
It came into being in 2015 and is Maharashtra’s second marine sanctuary, after Malvan.
The TCFS has been attracting flamingos in large numbers since 1994. By November every year, over 30,000 flamingos occupy the mudflats and the bordering mangroves. They stay till May, after which most of them migrate to Bhuj in Gujarat for breeding.
Besides supporting a large congregation of flamingos, the area is a refuge for many resident and migratory birds. In all, 200 species have been reported here, even globally threatened species such as the greater spotted eagle and others such as osprey.
Recent Proposal:
Standing committee of National Board for Wildlife, chaired by Union Environment Minister has accorded wildlife clearance to the Bullet Train project which will encroach upon the TCFS and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, home to leopards, in Mumbai.
The ‘bullet train project’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart in September, 2017. It is expected to be ready by 2022.
The drilling of underground tunnels will lead to sound pollution which will disturb the tranquillity of the sanctuary. The project will entail cutting down several mangrove trees, a natural flood barrier.
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