A survey conducted by the Delhi state Asian Water-bird Census (AWC) state coordinator and ecologist TK Roy found decline in arrival of migratory water-birds at Najafgarh Jheel and Sultanpur National Park Gurugram in winter season this year. This decline has been attributed to global climate change, high level of air pollution, delay in arrival of winter season, increasing human intervention and drying up wetlands. The Najafgarh Jheel is the second largest wetland in Delhi-NCR and a prominent wetland habitat for migratory water birds during the winter.
According to Roy, the number of migratory birds has gone down to some extent this year due to more human interference owing to cultivation on drylands, illegal fishing near the jheel, climate change, rising level of air pollution in the Delhi and NCR ." Around 50 species of winter migratory birds with a population of around 30,000 were recorded earlier annually in the Najafgarh Lake in winter during the census includes threatened/restricted species of International Conservation Union/Conventions (IUCN, CMS, CITES and Indian Wildlife Protection Act),"
said Roy adding migratory ducks, geese, and wader species left the main lake, except for 17 species of small waders, that were recorded in smaller numbers on the outer periphery of the lake during same period in December, 2022. Roy, however, expressed concern over the declining number of birds every year in the region.
"This year in mid-December 2023 surrounding part of the jheel in Gurgaon range also dried, agriculture started, illegal fishing on the surrounding part, water level of the main wetland fluctuated still recorded large number of Greylag Geese (around 2,500) than last year January and lesser number of Bar-headed Geese (around 300) than last year around 1,300 in January i.e. both Geese species approximately 4,000 on the Jheel this period as well on the drying part feeding water hyacinth and other duck species more than 2,200 on the wetland and few wader species, wagtails in smaller number on the sandy drying part of wetland aproximately 1000," he said. The outer periphery of the Najafgarh Jheel on private land mostly dried up and hardly migratory birds recorded this time.
