Bharatpur bird sanctuary to get water - finally

JAIPUR - The famous Bharatpur bird sanctuary, which has been losing its winged visitors due to an acute shortage of water, is set to get a new lease of life, with the Rajasthan government finally releasing water from a dam.

Moved by the gravity of the situation, the government Friday released water from the Panchna Dam of Karauli district for the sanctuary - also known as the Keoladeo National Park or Ghana sanctuary - which used to host 370 species of birds and 375 species of flowering plants before being hit by water shortage.

The sanctuary had not been receiving adequate water for the last two-three years, threatening its very existence. The alarming water shortage had taken its toll on the turnout of migratory birds. Large parts of the sanctuary had turned into dry land.

“We have released water from the (Panchna) dam for the bird sanctuary. The water through river Gambhir is expected to reach Ghana by Sep 4,” an official of the water resource department told IANS.

The park, located at the confluence of river Gambhir and river Banganga, requires 500-550 mcft of water every year.

Earlier also the bird sanctuary had been getting water from the Panchna Dam. However, the water was not being released from the dam for the last two-three years due to strong opposition from farmers in the Karauli area, which in turn had been receiving scanty rainfall.

Environmental and social organisations had urged Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to keep the sanctuary going by maintaining its aquatic ecology.

They feared that if water was not released, migratory birds would stop coming to the sanctuary.

“Thanks to the government that it has finally released water for the sanctuary. There was only a large pool of water left which used tube wells to replenish its level,” said Babulal Jaju, the state in charge of NGO People for Animals (PFA).

“Many domestic and migratory birds had been leaving the park in search of new wetlands and the reduction in bird population had reached a giant proportion. But now, we may see migratory birds flocking in again at Bharatpur,” he added.

The sanctuary is spread over an area of 28.72 sq km with lake and wetland. It was created by the Maharaja of Bharatpur in the 19th century.

The area was designated as Keoladeo Ghana Sanctuary in 1965 and was upgraded into Keoladeo National Park in 1981.

Incidentally, Bharatpur is one of the few districts in Rajasthan which received scanty rainfall this year.