Oct 29, 2006, 7:47 GMT
Jaipur, Oct 29 (IANS) With monsoons playing truant at the Keoladeo Ghana bird sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan has set up a special task force to propose new water management methods to woo back migratory birds.
'The task force with officials from the irrigation department, public health engineering department, hydrology department and Bharatpur district administration has been asked to file suggestions within a fortnight,' L.N. Dave, the state's forest minister, told IANS.
'We will do our best for the Ghana bird sanctuary,' he added.
Scarce rains this year affected bird arrivals to the world famous Keoladeo national park - also known as the Ghana bird sanctuary - in Bharatpur, over 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Most water bodies in the sanctuary have turned dry. The entire area had received scanty rainfall in the last couple of years but this year's aridity has turned the situation into a crisis.
'The entire area has even failed to receive one third of its average rainfall, which has badly affected the arrival of birds to this sanctuary. Most of the birds migrating here are going to other places, giving the park a deserted look,' said a sanctuary official.
Several birds initially landed here at the onset of monsoon but owing to very less rainfall most of these birds flew back, he added.
The Bharatpur district, on an average, receives 673 mm of rainfall, but this time it got around 250 mm of rainfall.
The park used to be a delight for bird watchers. Over 300 species of birds including open bills, spoon bills, egrets, cormorants, white ibis, harriers, fishing eagles kingfisher and local and Siberian cranes were found here.
However, with water becoming a scarce commodity, chances of seeing these birds are becoming bleak.
Mark Smith, a tourist from England, said: 'I came here to see the migratory birds, but there are none in the sanctuary. The government should do something to save it.'
The sanctuary, spread over an area of 28.73 sq km with a lake and wetlands, was artificially created by the Bharatpur king in the 19th century.
By building small dykes and dams and diverting water from an irrigation canal, he converted this low-lying area into a fine wild fowl shooting preserve. In a few years, the new wetland surrounded by marginal forests was able to support thousands of water birds.
The government banned any indiscriminate shooting of birds in 1965. The area was declared a national park in 1982 and accepted as a World Heritage Site in 1985.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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