Mumbai: Powai crocodiles to be tagged for study

Fishermen catch freshwater fish at the Powai Lake

It is not just Mumbai's leopards who will sport radio collars. Soon, crocodiles of Powai Lake will also be fitted with Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTT) to study their daily and seasonal movement in the lake. The idea is one of the measures suggested by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to the state forest department, which had written to them regarding safaris in the lake recently.

A group of volunteers cleans the Powai Lake on February 5. Pic/Sameer Markande

The WII has suggested some measures before starting crocodile safaris at Powai Lake, the satellite tagging of the reptiles being one of the important ones. Sources from the forest department said a rapid assessment study of the crocodiles will begin soon.

In his reply to Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) Sunil Limaye, Dr Dhananjay Mohan, director, WII said that the activity would require segregation of the tourists' area from areas having a high density of crocodiles. The letter states that tourists should not be able to come in contact with the water, so the boats would have to be customised accordingly.

The letter states, "A crocodile monitoring-cum-tourist safety hut needs to be established with drone, first aid kits, life jackets, kits for capturing and handling crocodile, speed boat etc. One or two watch towers should be constructed at the Vantage points. No dumping of organic refuse including waste from slaughterhouse, fish processing units near areas visited by tourists. Rapid assessment study is required to understand the current status and distribution of crocodiles in lake which is critical for the spatial planning." For long-term monitoring, a few muggers may be tagged with satellite PTTs for surveillance and to avoid human-crocodile conflict, the letter added.

WII has also suggested measures for the betterment of the lake to enhance its biodiversity and environment setting.

"All sewage water should be treated before entering into the lake. [The area] In and around the lake should be made as a plastic-free zone. Weeds need to be removed periodically. Desilting may be carried out at selected areas if required. Entire lake should be made as a litter free [zone]," states the letter.

WII also said that they are ready to conduct a rapid assessment study with the support of the government.

What does govt say?
Talking to mid-day, Limaye said, "We have asked WII to take up a rapid assessment of the area and a project to tag a few crocodiles with the satellite PTTs."