Explained: Why experts are warning that upcoming Navi Mumbai int'l airport is 'highly dangerous'

Navi Mumbai International Airport or as it isofficially known, the DBPatil International Airport, inIndia, when it becomes operational in late 2024, will be able to handle close to 20 million passengers every year, and once complete in 2032, will ultimately cater to around 90 million passengers annually. But the project, which as per its developer and the local government is an essential piece of infrastructure, poses a risk to air safety, according to some aviation experts and activists.

Where is the Navi Mumbai International Airport located?

The upcoming airport is being built in Navi Mumbai, a planned development that is part of the wider Metropolitan Region. It was reportedly chosen for its proximity to India's financial capital, Mumbai and international port facilities. It is also close to the business district of Belapur, manufacturing hubs such as Taloja, Patalganga, Ambernath and Roha, and the city of Panvel.

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How close is it to bird habitats?

Nearby, at a distance of 10 kilometres, is the Karnala Bird Sanctuary, home to more than 200 species of birds. Mangroves, mudflats and wetlands that attract migratory birds such as flamingoes, starlings, buntings and rose finches too are in a 10-km radius.

Many of these natural sites are being reclaimed for airport construction.

What do the experts say?

They say the new airport's proximity to two major bird sanctuaries and feeding spots of multiple migratory bird species makes aircraft vulnerable to bird strikes.

SM Satheesan, an expert in bird strike prevention, warns that the new airport's proximity to these natural sites makes it "highly dangerous."

Talking to Al Jazeera, Satheesan said he had investigated a bird strike case in New Delhi some years ago. The incident had happened far away from any habitat, but he had found bird remains.

"I examined the bird remains, and they belonged to flamingoes, despite there being no major flamingo habitats in the area.

"Now at the Navi Mumbai site, where there is a flamingo sanctuary nearby, the flamingoes are going to create havoc," he warned.

He also cautioned that the destruction of these birds' natural habitats, like mudflats and wetlands,means that they will more likely stray onto the airport land, where they can find food in the form of insect remains.

"The runway offers a place for resting and feeding for birds driven out of their other usual habitats. It becomes a dining table of sorts where birds can find crushed remains of smaller animals, insects and termites," he said.

Environmentalist Debi Goenka, the founder of Conservation Action Trust (CAT), claims to have written to multiple authorities about the issue. However, he said he is yet to receive a reply.

He claims to have"written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and the DGCA [Directorate General of Civil Aviation]," but said that"unfortunately, we haven’t even got an acknowledgement, let alone a reply."

Did the developer and/or local authorities not know about these bird sites?

They did. More than a decade ago, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the coordinating body for the airport project, appointed the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to conduct a detailed study of the issue.

Periodic reports by BNHS identified five key wetlands in the area: NRI, TS Chanakya, Belpada, Bhendkhal and Panje.They stressed the importance of preserving these wetlands to prevent birds from finding their way either into the flight path of the aircraft or the runway.

The area is also a nesting ground for threatened species.The first-year report by BNHS found "eight Threatened species of waterbirds in the study area, of which, barring a few Vulnerable species, all were Near Threatened species."

An environmental impact assessment by Vimta Labs for the Adani group which will be operating the airport also said that "maintaining the current state of this landscape especially wetlands and ProtectedAreas is essential for the air safety of upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport(NMIA)."

It warned that "any changes in the current state of these areas will result into more erraticmovement of the birds in the landscape between feeding and roosting sites, whichmay jeopardise the air safety of NMIA."

What do the authorities have to say?

Pleas of the activists, as per Al Jazeera, have so far been ignored. Authorities continue to claim that the essential piece of infrastructure will help ease pressure on the state's existing airport: the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, which at the moment serves nearly 50 million passengers every year.

A spokesperson for Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), the authority responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the airport, claims that they are developing new roosting sites for the birds away from the airport to keep them away from the site.

He also dismissed concerns that the airport site could be prone to bird strikes.

Would these new roosting sites help?

BN Kumar, head of the environmental advocacy group NatConnect, told Al Jazeera that "Migratory birds have high site fidelity."

He opined that the wetlands need to be preserved "to ensure that the birds do not venture into the airport area."

Was there a better site for the Navi Mumbai International Airport?

Environmental activists like Debi Goenka, argue that there are in fact better sites. This includes a 728-hectare (1,800-acre) site near Kalyan city of Kalyan that was originally developed as an airstrip by the British during World War II.

"There was a better site at Nevali near Kalyan," said Goenka.The site was "halfway between Mumbai and Pune and would have served both cities," he remarked.

"This land was already owned by the Defence Ministry. Moreover, this land already had an airstrip and would have been easier to develop compared to the Navi Mumbai land where mangroves are being reclaimed, wetlands and mudflats are endangered, hills have to be levelled and rivers diverted for constructing the airport," added Goenka.

Can one small bird actually harm an aircraft?

Aircraft collisions or bird strikes are fairly common globally and have, over the years,lead to a number of fatal accidents.Bird and even animal strikes are actually considered one of the most potent threats to flight operations.

Image(s): International Civil Aviation Organization

How common are aircraft hit by bird accidents in India?

The answer is fairly common. In 2022, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data, India witnessed 2,174 aircraft bird strike incidents. The previous year, in 2021, 1,430 incidents were recorded.

(With inputs from agencies)

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