Navi Mumbai: The protection of the DPS Flamingo lake in Nerul, a key destination for pink birds in Navi Mumbai, remained mired in administrative red tape even as the annual arrival of winter migratory flamingos was inordinately delayed this year. In a fresh representation to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Greens urged immediate issuance of the long-pending Government Resolution (GR), granting Conservation Reserve status to the lake and transferring its maintenance to the forest department.Although the State Wildlife Board, chaired by the CM, approved the proposal in April 2025, the formal GR confirming the status is yet to be issued. Meanwhile, the lake is in dire straits, with a thick carpet of green algae spreading across large sections of the water body, raising fears of oxygen depletion and habitat degradation. Environmentalists attributed the bloom to standing water caused by poor intertidal flow. The outlet pipes were placed too high, preventing proper drainage during low tide.Officials who inspected the site reportedly confirmed that the channels needed to be lowered. The main southern water flow channel also remained buried under an access road built by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), which continued to control the lake despite the state’s conservation decision. Mangrove Cell initiated a cleanup campaign but was unable to complete it due to jurisdictional limitations as the wetland continued under Cidco’s control.Cidco officials reiterated that the area is a developable land. Cidco also installed a warning sign at the site stating that the ‘plot’ belonged to CIDCO and that trespassers would be prosecuted. "It is crucial that the government issues the GR confirming the Conservation Reserve status and hands over the lake to the Forest Department for maintenance,” said NatConnect Foundation director BN Kumar, who sought the CM’s intervention to save the lake.The DPS Flamingo Lake, along with wetlands such as TS Chanakya and NRI Lake, served as crucial secondary habitat during high tide for the birds of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary. Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS) president VK Gandhi said the continued delay in issuance of the GR was weakening conservation enforcement. He added that the lake cannot remain under fragmented control. It must be formally handed over to the Forest Department before further ecological damage is done.NatConnect suggested Mangrove Cell deploy a boat to remove the algae, lower the outlet pipes to restore proper drainage during low tide, and reopen the southern water channel that was blocked by the CIDCO jetty path. Senior scientist Mrugank Prabhu of the Srushti Conservation Foundation, who tracked migration patterns along the Central Asian Flyway, said large numbers of flamingos were currently concentrated in the wetlands of Gujarat, including the Rann of Kutch."There is still significant water availability there. The birds are likely to start moving towards the Mumbai region in the second week of March,” he said, indicating that climatic and hydrological conditions influenced the flight schedule. Echoing concerns about local preparedness, Sandeep Sareen of NMEPS said: "The health of the wetland is critical. Last year, once intertidal flow was restored, thousands of flamingos invaded the lake. "If habitat is compromised, birds will simply look elsewhere.”