Obscurely intricate yet mystical since its genesis, today mudflats in Mumbai face the constant dangers of degradation…
‘To capture the scenic unseen beauty of nature, crossing the mucky lands is quite nauseating.’
While most of us live in the carcinogenic world around us, many have overlooked the condition of Indian Wildlife and the habitat that surrounds it. Every year environmentalists maintain a count of flamingos and other exquisite birds that maneuver through the mudflats in Mumbai.
The flamingo census scripts an amalgamation of various elements taken into consideration which play an important role in calibrating the estimate count of the population visiting the city. The census mainly focuses on species of Greater Flamingo and Lesser Flamingo.
The unprecedented rainfall even during the month of December has been liable for the declining population. The rising water-levels have derailed the food chain which is co-dependent for their own survival. The counterpane spread across the acres of land has been under great depression due to the overflowing blue-green algae. Flamingos mainly feed on Algae (which helps them obtain the iconic pink hue).
However, it wasn’t always the same!
No sooner you enter the channel/transit; these wetlands are already bustling with waders, raptors and activities of various agents inhabiting these lands. The deep rooted mangroves act as the ‘sentinels’ guarding the mudflats and the habitat around them.
Well, that’s what makes a photographer vulnerable!
The windy dawn never freezes the life around, although the researches are in constant threat of being exposed to the human waste floating across the creek. It’s a devastating after-image as it gets horrifying with the passing step one puts across. It’s sad to watch the concrete jungle building across these majestic wetlands and affecting these sound sensitive creatures.The destruction has definitely posed higher threats of survival for humans as well, and the declining numbers of flamingos in creeks is one of the major evidence.
The Nemophilist 