Centre's Okhla Bird Sanctuary move to be challenged by bird lovers

The Government on Wednesday issued the final notification demarcating the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Okhla Bird Sanctuary giving big relief to thousands of home buyers in Noida and its vicinity as their apartments will now fall out of the new notified area.

Mail Today | Mail Today | New Delhi, August 20, 2015 | UPDATED 10:05 IST

The Environment Ministry's decision to declare only 100 metres around the Okhla Bird Sanctuary as eco-sensitive zone has left bird lovers appalled.

Voicing their concern over it, they say this is becoming a nationwide phenomenon where protective zones around sanctuaries are decided randomly and unscientifically and feel that all such proposals should go to the Environment Impact Assessment Authorities for verification. Many are even planning to challenge the Centre's notification in the Supreme Court or National Green Tribunal.

The Government on Wednesday issued the final notification demarcating the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Okhla Bird Sanctuary giving big relief to thousands of home buyers in Noida and its vicinity as their apartments will now fall out of the new notified area.

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Winged visitors find a new home at Shanti Van

Even as the Okhla Bird Sanctuary is in the news this year due to the poor arrival of water fowl and the National Green Tribunal proceedings on restricting the constructions around it, the birds appeared to have found a new habitat a few kilometres of the Yamuna at Shanti Van.

According to ecologist and conservationist T.K. Roy, a tiny lake at Shanti Van has attracted a large number of resident water bird species and these include several which are in the International Union for Conservation of Nature red-listed threatened species. “It is surprising that these birds have made landfall in the summer months whereas it is usually in the winters that birds flock to Delhi. It is rare for these birds to come during the scorching summer season as around this time the smaller wetlands get dried up.”

Mr. Roy said a number of water bird species have come in and these include the spot-billed duck, common moorhen, white-throated kingfisher, cattle egret, little egret, intermediate egret, black-winged stilt, purple heron, grey heron, Indian pond heron, striated heron, black-headed ibis (endangered species), white-breasted waterhen, and red-wattled lapwing.

In all the euphoria surrounding the arrival of the water birds, the conservationist is concerned about the well-being of the birds as a large number of stray dogs attempt to hunt them there. “Although this is the breeding season for the resident water birds, there has been no nesting of any of the species as stray dogs have been attempting to hunt them.”

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Unusual visitors flock to Okhla sanctuary this summer

Shafaque Alam,TNN | Apr 15, 2014, 05.11 AM IST

NOIDA: While most migratory birds have returned to their native abodes because of the rising mercury levels, the Okhla Bird Sanctuary is getting unusual summer visitors such as the Great White Pelican, the Greater Flamingo and the Pied Avocet.

T K Roy, an ecologist working in the sanctuary, said that with the water level increasing, some birds which had migrated to the wetlands during winter, had returnedto the sanctuary.

"The water level is normal now, making it suitable for water birds. This has attracted some uncommon visitors like Great White Pelican, Greater Flamingo and Pied Avocet. These birds had diverted to other wetlands during winters," said Roy.

Besides these birds, the sanctuary has also attracted some summer migrants like Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Rosy Starling and Indian Cuckoo, and water birds like the Black-headed Ibis, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper and others.

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Okhla bird sanctuary under threat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9dB_ZmJhBs