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The number of migrant flamingos in Sewri has reduced, the population of birds and animals such as the white-throated kingfisher, serpent eagle, barn owls, squirrels, beetles and pigeons has dropped drastically and gulmohar, mango and guava trees have vanished from Marol, Andheri. It is also rare to spot butterflies in Mumbai.
For nearly five months, students from more than 45 schools visited every nook and corner of the city to document the dying and existing flora and fauna in Mumbai. Some college students acting as 'eco ambassadors' accompanied the schoolchildren, who branded themselves as ecosurveyors, to conduct the ecological census. The report will be submitted to the environment ministry.
The study — a programme called Green Ideas initiated by the state government's environment department with Bandra-based NGO Organisation of Aware Saviours in Society (OASIS) — painted a grim picture of the city's flora and fauna.
The findings were corroborated by senior citizens who told the students about the change in surroundings over the years. "The students found that redevelopment in the city and suburbs severely damaged the flora and fauna. The number of many native trees such as ashoka, mango, guava and gulmohar which existed till some years ago has reduced. This has had a direct impact on the bird population. Sparrows, owls, kingfishers and bulbuls have disappeared from some areas of the city," said Puja Sukhija, executive director, OASIS.
TYBMM student Neha Sukumar who supervised the survey at Marol was taken aback at the damage. "Residents said the region was sprawling with trees some years ago. The trees began to die because of the construction activity," she said.
The students decided to create awareness among the residents. "We recommended that they plant saplings at homeand build bird houses," said Aditya Madnani, a class 7 student of Khar's Beacon High School.
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