BHANDUP PUMPING STATION……A UNIQUE BIODIVERSITY MICROCOSM IN HEART OF MUMBAI

The moment one hears of Mumbai, they picture this metropolis as a concrete jungle. To a certain extent, they are not wrong as it is a concrete jungle indeed. Having said that there are certain biodiversity platforms which also make Mumbai a unique place in itself.

SUNRISE AT THE BHANDUP PUMPING STATION AT 0630 hrs.....

Many have heard and read about the Borivili National Park, which is considered as the lungs of Mumbai and National Geographic Channel did a feature on it sometimes back. Wildlife like the leopards is at the pinnacle of the food chain in this national park.

Not many though know about another biodiversity National Park, of the ministry of forests, Maharashtra Government, in the suburbs of Mumbai and that is the BHANDUP PUMPING STATION NATIONAL PARK. When I heard about it I was little sceptical, because the Bhandup Pumping Station is actually a sewage treatment plant and all the dirty waters from the Mumbai metropolis is treated here. Its a huge wastewater management system right in the suburbs of Mumbai city. So how could this be a wildlife biodiversity sanctuary?

Well, when I went there I was amazed by the place. It has three biomes, the mangrove biome, the grassland biome and the marshy land biome, all in one place.  All these three biomes are possible because of the proximity to water..the creek comes in. The tides facilitate the salt pans on one side and all the salt that Mumbaikar consumes probably come from these salt pans’

Bhandup Pumping Station is located on the Eastern Express Highway, near the turnoff for the Mulund Airoli Link Road.

THE SALT PANS

HARD WORK

The road near the salt pans is quite wide, though it gets narrower near the pumping stations. However, it is possible to drive right up to the creek. Also, the distance from the Highway to the creek is certainly within walking distance. The place can be quite deserted, so it is best not to go alone. Most Sunday mornings, there are birdwatchers in the area so you will be sure to find company.

This place is a bird watchers paradise. Flamingos are a common sight here during the months from October to march. Besides the commonly spotted species such as the common egret, pond heron, coppersmith barbet, oriental magpie robin, weaver bird, golden oriole, white cheek bulbul, common kingfisher and common cormorant, one can see species such as the painted stork, greater and lesser flamingo, black-headed ibis, Eurasian spoonbill, black-winged stilt, pied avocet, spot-billed duck and garganey duck.

THE FLIGHT OF THE FLAMINGO....

SAND PIPER...ONE HAS JUST TAKEN A FLIGHT

 Many of these, such as the garganey duck, pied avocet and flamingos, are migratory and the main attractions for birdwatchers that begin to flock here from November.

The best time to visit this place is around the early morning by 0630 so that one can witness the sunrise and then can walk the trail till morning 0930 when the sun is strong and then it is not a good time to photograph as the birds fly away to other areas.

If one is inclined to know more about the birds and their habitat then one should register with BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY as they organize walk through with experts who will guide you with the names of the birds, their habitat, their food patterns and their migratory cycles.

This place also has some unique flora of which one is the sausage tree, the fruit of which looks like a sausage and this tree is native of Africa, and the Meswaak plants. Meswaak plant and its fruit is widely used in the manufacturing of the Meswaak toothpaste, which we all have used some times or the other.

THE MESWAAK PLANT AND ITS FRUIT

THE SAUSAGE TREE

On a Sunday I urge all Mumbaikars to visit this place and feel the vibrancy and positivity of this place which is so near to our urban jungle.

Since I first came here four years ago, more and more people have started visiting Bhandup Pumping Station during the season. Not everyone is an avid birder. There are people who come to enjoy an early morning walk in the microcosm of a wilderness,. There are people like me who are amateur photographers who come to shoot nature but as long as they don’t damage the eco-system and scare the birds by being loud, I think it’s good that it’s slowly becoming a well-known birding spot. Everyone in the city needs to know about this spot so that they can appreciate that in the heart of this concrete jungle there lies solace to all.

 We stand to lose everything if we don’t preserve our wetlands. We will all have to be answerable to our generations yet to come when they will ask, “Daddy what is a tree how does it look like?” OR “Daddy what is a bird? Have you seen One?”