The Arvind Kejriwal Government has created a first-of-its-kind 'Goraiya Gram' in Garhi Mandu city forest in East Delhi for the protection and conservation of the State bird the sparrow. The Government also plans to develop to Mitraun city forest in South West Delhi, Alipur city forest in North Delhi and Jaunapur city forest in the coming days.
Delhi Environment Minister, Gopal Rai who visited the Goraiya Gram in Garhi Mandu, said that more such sparrow villages are planned at several other places in the Capital.
"Pollution and excessive use of pesticides is leading to a decline in the number of sparrows and considering this, the forest and wildlife department is trying to provide ecological support for the protection and conservation of the little bird," he said. "We have tried to give them nesting places and food sources in the 'Goraiya Gram'. We do not only want to increase the green cover in Delhi but create a healthy ecological system and give a suitable environment to birds and animals," he said.
Sohail Madan, assistant director, Bombay Natural History Society, said, "The spunky bird thrives in places that have plenty of grains and insects. But the use of pesticides and insecticides has led to a scarcity of food for them. The toxic chemicals have driven them away."
"We have planted native berries like karonda and kundni, grasses and shrubs, and kept feeder boxes, artificial nests and earthen pots in the sparrow village, which was opened to the public last month," the conservationist, who helped build the Goraiya Gram," said. Two insect hostels have also been created at the 'Gauraiya Gram' as sparrows feed on insects and worms. A forest department official said this is the first such effort in national Capital to make people aware about the protection and conservation of State bird.
"The rapid decline in the number of sparrows had hogged headlines a few years ago. Several studies attributed it to urbanisation and mindless use of pesticides and insecticides, and even electromagnetic radiation. So we thought of doing something. "A baseline survey will be conducted after six months and thereafter, we will count number of sparrows after a year to establish the impact of our conservation efforts," the official said.
House sparrow or the passer domesticus is listed as 'least concern' in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.