Dry days for birds

Water birds winter at the Okhla bird sanctuary in Delhi. But the release of water at the barrage has turned it into dry land at a crucial time of the year

During winter, the lake formed by the damming of the Yamuna river at Okhla near the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border teems with migratory birds. This year, however, at a time when the birds start arriving from abroad, the watery ecosystem had turned into a veritable desert of sand and dry weeds. Environmentalists are aghast at the lack of concern shown by the authorities in draining the lake at a crucial time of the year.

Usually the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department releases water at the barrage for cleaning and maintenance just after the rains. This work is often carried out before the bird season. "The lake is always cleaned after the monsoon season and water levels are restored once the work is finished," says Ashok Kumar, divisional forest officer. The irrigation department normally consults the Uttar Pradesh forest department whenever the sluice gates are opened to let the water out.

This year, apparently, there was no such consultation. "Why the irrigation department has done so without the consent of the wildlife department is inexplicable," says TK Roy, Delhi-based environmentalist. "Not only will the migratory birds not come, but even the local birds will be forced to find other places for nesting."

The migratory birds which come to the Okhla sanctuary include the Wood Sandpiper, River Lapwing and the Eurasian Spoonbill, among many others. Roy says that flocks of the Greater Flamingo had reached Okhla, but had flown away due to the depleted water level at the sanctuary.

Earlier this year, the National Green Tribunal had passed two orders in favour of preserving the sanctuary. These orders included stopping illegal constructions in a 10-km radius of the eco-sensitive zone. Some real estate companies had started construction within this zone, which was against environmental norms. Even these activities had alarmed ecologists.

Ranjit Lal, environmentalist and bird-watcher, says that winter is the best time to spot birds at the sanctuary, but the drying of the barrage means fewer birds visiting the place. "During winter you see a lot of migratory birds from Europe coming here, but this year this looks a bit difficult if things don't improve," he says.

Anand Arya, photographer and avid bird watcher who has been visiting the Okhla bird sanctuary for years now, feels that all maintenance work should be carried out in summer, and not at a time when birds from Europe and central Asia come to winter.

The irrigation department maintains that because the monsoons lasted longer than usual, the water has been released late, which has led to the drying of the barrage. Kumar, however, says that since the barrage falls under the jurisdiction of the irrigation department, he can only advise but not take decisions. "I don't know why the barrage had to be cleaned right now," he adds.

In the last couple of days the water level in the lake has gone up after the sluice gates were closed. Kumar says that hopefully in the next few days once the maintenance work is over, the status quo will be restored. "We hope to see the usual number of migratory birds this season," he concludes.