After the UT Administration sounded bird flu alert in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, the veterinary officers have collected blood, fecal and throat swab samples of migratory birds from Sukhna lake for laboratory test.
The samples have been sent to Regional Disease Diagnostic laboratory (RDDl), Jalandhar in Punjab and the report is likely to be received by UT Administration on Saturday.
The UT Animal Husbandry Department and UT Wildlife Department have collected the blood samples, fecal and throat swab samples of few migratory water birds at Sukhna lake here for laboratory test.
After the confirmation of deadly H5N1 virus in one of 24 domesticated ducks that had died at Sukhna lake, the UT Administration has also increased the surveillance of migratory birds at Sukhna lake and Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.
Over 90 birds, most of them domesticated ducks were culled at Chandigarh’s Sukhna lake on Thursday, as a part of control and containment measures to prevent the spread of avian influenza, H5N1 in the city.
After the culling operation, disinfection was carried out at the 3 sq. km long manmade water body by the UT Administration on Friday.
Talking to The Pioneer, Santosh Kumar, UT conservator of forests-cum wildlife warden said, “After the culling operation during which 90 domesticated were culled, the area of Sukhna lake where these domesticated stayed has been cleaned and sanitized to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.”
Disinfection was carried out throughout Friday at Sukhna lake. The Sukhna lake and Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary will remain closed for one month now.
The entry to Sukhna lake had been cordoned off on Thursday morning and Police personnel as well as Forest Rangers have been deployed at the lake area to ensure that people are not allowed to enter the lake premises. This is for the first time after its creation in the year 1958, that Chandigarh’s prime tourist spot Sukhna lake has been closed.
Santosh Kumar added, “As of now, no order for culling of migratory birds is issued and our Department has intensified surveillance of the migratory birds at lake and Wildlife Sanctuary. No death of migratory bird is reported till now. The Department’s staff is keeping a close watch at lake to identify sick waterbirds, if any. The measures are also being taken to prevent the spread of bird flu here.”
With the presence of more than 1,000 migratory birds here, which could be the carriers of H5N1 virus, the concerns for the spread of dreaded avian influenza H5N1 is growing in union territory of Chandigarh, which is also the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.
This time, migratory birds namely Ruddy Shelducks, White-Eyed Pochards, Common Pochards, Common Coot, Ferruginous Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Greylag Goose among others have arrived here. These migratory birds reach Chandigarh every year by mid-November from Siberia, Central Asia, China, Afghanistan and the upper Himalayas.
Dr lovelesh Kant Gupta, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department informed that the Regional Disease Diagnostic laboratory (RDDl), Jalandhar is supervising the control and containment measures to prevent the spread of bird flu in the city. We have already sent samples of winged guests to the RDDl for testing and the report is likely to be received by Saturday.
The regular sampling of these migratory birds is done after their arrival to the city and so far, no deaths of migratory birds have been reported in the city, said he.
The officials of UT Health Department, UT Police, UT Wildlife Department, UT Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department and the civic body are jointly working to implement preventive and control measures in Chandigarh and have also stepped up their efforts to deal with any emergency situation here.