By Huned Contractor

Ashima Narain's film on the flamingos of Sewri Bay, in Mumbai, is unique in its attempts to explain why and how scores of these magnificent birds flock to one of Mumbai's most polluted areas

A chemically toxic bay would hardly offer the right environment for any wildlife to survive. But reality has a strange way of manifesting itself. And that's precisely what Mumbai-based photographer Ashima Narain realised when she visited Sewri Bay.

Sewri Bay is a dilapidated port area with buildings that may soon turn into brick dust, factories spewin g smoke, shipbreaking and scrap yards. It is also the favourite dumping ground for everyone in the neighbourhood. Most days the bay is covered in a thick haze, born out of the poisonous fumes that linger in the air. A power plant, two oil refineries, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the Rashtriya Chemical Fertiliser factory are some of the ‘landmarks' that you may be able to identify through the deadly fog, presenting a sight that is certainly not conducive to the existence of any living being.

And yet Narain found around 20,000 flamingos here. More than a surprise, it was a shock. Environmentally speaking, that is. “The birds fly into the metropolis after the monsoon, and leave just before the next one. It is believed that they go to Kutch to breed during the rainy season. What defied any logic was how they managed to make such a polluted area their home for so many months,” says Narain.

The discovery led to the making of a documentary film titled In The Pink , which is possibly the only audiovisual footage available to help environmental scientists and flamingo-lovers across the world arrive at an answer to this question.

The impact of the film has been tremendous. Discovery Channel snapped it up for global telecast and the film has been screened in India at various festivals, including the Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival held at New Delhi in September 2007.

What sparked off the making of the film (produced by Ruchi Narain, Ashima's sister) was obviously why so many flamingos were attracted to Sewri Bay . “Our exploration led to the fact that a lot of algae is produced in the bay due to the warm water effluents being released into it by industry as also domestic waste. This contains phosphorous. And since algae is the staple food of flamingos, the attraction is understandable,” Narain explains.

Of the six species of flamingo, two are found in Sewri - - the lesser flamingo and the greater flamingo. The greater flamingo stands tall at four feet, while the lesser flamingo, at two feet, is the smallest in the family. “In terms of uniqueness, the lesser flamingo has such specific feeding requirements that it is found in very few places in the world (mainly Eurasia and Africa ). The birds live in huge congregations; that's why the sight presented is that of a pink wave,” Narain elaborates. The algae contains a carotenoid pigment that turns the birds' feathers pink.

What Narain found disconcerting was the fact that despite the presence of the flamingos in Mumbai's backyard, no scientific study has yet been undertaken on them. “No one knows where the birds come from, their flight path, or the effect of heavy metal toxins on them,” she says. Apart from filming the flamingos, Narain took it upon herself to collect water samples from the bay and have them tested. “We looked at the problems flamingos face in parts of Africa , due to pollution, and drew parallels with Mumbai to see what the future might hold for these birds. And the news is depressing. The toxic algae could have a damaging effect on the flamingos. Moreover, there is a new threat to their habitat in the form of a bridge being built right through flamingo territory, to connect Sewri to Navi Mumbai. It may cut through the mudflats -- their feeding ground -- and therefore disturb their flight path. Wildlife conservationists have taken up the issue but it hasn't led to any satisfactory outcome,” Narain says.

Making the film was quite an adventure. Once, while shooting sequences of the flamingos' courting dance, Narain forgot to check the tide. Very soon she found herself stuck knee-deep in the muck, trying desperately to free herself and also protect her camera and tripod. When her assistant attempted to come to her rescue, he too began sinking in the mud. Meanwhile, the crowd of truckers and workers could do nothing but watch. Finally, a child came along and took the equipment from her so that she could crawl out of the mud.

Filming was like a wild goose chase most of the time, with Narain dashing from one place to another to get the right shot. “It's a very difficult place to get in, and our attempts to make the Bombay Natural History Society's experts ring the flamingos to study them failed because they couldn't reach them at all. The whole area is like quicksand,” says Narain.

And so while the film itself is flying high, Narain is hoping that it will lead to an organised research project on these magnificent birds. “We have an environmental treasure spot here and it would be unfortunate indeed if the flamingos stopped coming here for some reason,” she concludes.

(Huned Contractor is a freelance journalist and filmmaker based in Pune)

InfoChange News & Features, January 2008