The Okhla Bird Sanctuary has tremendous potential. But this potential will remain largely unrealised if the authorities fail to pay enough attention
Caught in Delhi's frenetic whirl, few notice some of the quiet stretches in the capital's periphery where nature still remains pristine. One such haven is the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, perhaps the only one of its kind in India located at the heart of a massive, expanding urban sprawl. Though spread over roughly four square kilometres — which makes it small compared to some of the country's other sanctuaries — it, according to Mr TK Roy, an ecologist familiar with the area, is home to 145 species of birds, including 22 species of water birds and 44 species of terrestrial birds that are resident. The presence of seven species categorised as ‘endangered’ and one labelled as ‘vulnerable’ has been recorded. There are, besides, 25 species of aquatic, and 110 of terrestrial, plants.
Unfortunately, the sanctuary, which came into being in 1990, and which has Delhi on one side and Uttar Pradesh's New Okhla Industrial Development Area on the other, faces a multiplicity of problems. Its principle protection on the side of Delhi is supposed to be a tall fence. People, however, cut or sneak through it at will to defecate and urinate and sometimes poach. Ignoring remonstrances, villagers in Uttar Pradesh regularly push through herds of buffaloes to graze. Mourners at an adjacent crematorium sometimes spill into the sanctuary or bury their dead inside the latter, disturbing avian life. The staff — one field range officer, two guards, one sailor and seven temporary muster roll employees — are powerless to prevent any forcible entry. The police are reluctant to intervene.
Much worse happens during Chhat Puja and when Kanwariyas are on the march. During the former, worshippers are allowed to enter the sanctuary and collect water. The explosion of crackers, which are stealthily brought in, mainly by children, despite a ban, terrifies the birds. The Kanwariyas stay in camps along the periphery but come in whenever they like to use the outlying areas of the sanctuary as a latrine. Apart from the disturbance their loud presence creates for around a month, they leave behind a huge mess which spreads pollution and takes days to clear.
Uttar Pradesh’s Irrigation Department, which owns the land on which the sanctuary is situated and is in charge of the maintenance of the Okhla Barrage, reportedly causes much greater damage. locals allege that when it does its repair work, water drains out and the entire area is dry, without any thought of the havoc it wreaks on the birds which are forced to fly away. The eggs left behind get destroyed and the chicks, which cannot fly too far, if at all, die.
The damage was not so severe in 2011 and 2012, when repairs were done in May. This year, however, these were undertaken from the beginning of October, a critical time for the arrival of winter birds from Siberia and elsewhere, and virtually the entire sanctuary area remained dry for about a month. The result was devastating. Indignant locals argue that Irrigation Department officials responsible, whose action threatens endangered and vulnerable avian species besides a wide variety of others, are guilty of violating the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, should be tried and punished.
Even if this does not happen, the repairs must be undertaken in consultation with Uttar Pradesh wildlife authorities to minimise damage to the sanctuary's ecology. Also, the Delhi Government must take measures to prevent unauthorised entry from its side. As Mr Ishwar Chandra Singh, the Field Range Officer pointed out, an urgent need is a buffer area which most sanctuaries have around them to protect the core area. One hopes the messages get through. The Okhla bird sanctuary has immense potential. It will be a pity if it is not realised.