Fewer Birds Come to Tripura

          TRIPURA: The sky is painted with birds and there is cacophony in the air. The blue canvas belongs to them as they fly oblivious of things around them. There is warmth in the winter sun of the valley which the birds seek and for which they travel miles leaving behind their cold winter hearths. This is a common scene in wetland of Tripura starting November up to March as a number of migratory birds make it their winter home.

           Common teal, lesser whistling teal and the pink tail, which are visible are guests from far away places, but this time the wetland witnesses a decline in the number of migratory birds, the reason being the late arrival of winters. Till a few years back the wetland witnessed a variety of species and in bulks, but not this time. "The birds have arrived less in number this time due to late winters. They come in bulks, but this time they have arrived in lesser number," said Shyam Singh, a local.

           Not only winters, there are other problems bothering the authorities.Water pollution and human habitation around the reserve makes the situation grave. And last, but not the least these birds also fall prey at the hands of the boys, who trap them by getting them entangled in their kite's chord. In fact if this menace is not curbed right away the birds might be forced to abandon this habitat which they choose to get a respite from their cold land.

           Bobbing on the water a sea of birds under the pale evening sun protected and secure ... there is no denying the fact these birds only add to the ethereal beauty of the picturesque valley.
11/02/03

Karnataka Wildlife in for Water Scarcity (Go To Top)

          BANDIPUR (Karnataka): While the tussle for Cauvery river water continues between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, animals in a sanctuary are faced with water scarcity ahead of a harsh summer. Thousands of wild animals in the Bandipura and the Rajiv Gandhi national park in Karnataka are affected as the forced release of water to Tamil Nadu has depleted the water level in the reservoir adjoining the parks.

          The sanctuary is one of the very few remains of the virgin forest in the Nilgiri biosphere. The water shortage has severely affected the elephants, who solely depend on the backwaters in summer. Experts said that the paucity of water has resulted in the conversion of lush green patches to dry muddy ones that may deprive animals of food.

           "The water shortage due to release of water to Tamil Nadu has hit the wild animals. This national park has been very badly hit because almost all wild animals come here in summer to congregate. Thousands of elephants, wild bores depend on the grass and water on the patch. The release of water has affected the green carpet of grass also. We are in a very critical condition and three months till the next rains in June we have to manage the situation," said Manjunathan, regional forest officer, Bandipura National Park.

           The sanctuary boasts of more than 3,500 Asiatic elephants apart from thousands of bison, deer, sambar, wild boar and other wild animals. The sanctuary, which covers two parks with a combined area of 1,530 square km, is one of the biggest wildlife sanctuaries in the country and is said to possess very rich and rare flora and fauna. The Rajiv Gandhi National Park has 114 water holes and experts feel that only 25 would be perennial and last till December. In Bandipura, out of 181 water holes only 35 to 40 may last. Although authorities are trying to fill the water holes, the task is cumbersome as the area is large and rainfall is 20 to 25 per cent below normal. And if the things do not change for good, authorities may have to shut down the sanctuary as part of emergency measures.

           "Maybe, we will wait till first week of March, it will be a severe problem by then. After that we will have to close the park, mainly because of the water scarcity and also fire problem," said RS Suresh, field director of the two national parks.

           The Cauvery river waters row has been one of the long-standing disputes between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee ordered Karnataka to release 4,500 cusecs of Cauvery river waters for three days to the lower basin Tamil Nadu. Vajpayee's ruling conformed to Supreme Court orders based on the interim orders of the Cauvery Tribunal which has determined quotas for different basin States. The tribunal in its interim order has allocated 2-2.5 TMC feet water every month to Tamil Nadu during lean season and up to 20 TMC feet during peak monsoon month of August.

Karnataka Bird Sanctuary Hit by Release of Cauvery Water   (Go To Top)

          RANGANATHITTU (Karnataka): The world famous Ranganathittu bird sanctuary situated on the Cauvery river banks in Karnataka has been hit hard by depleting water levels. Release of water from the Cauvery river to neighbouring Tamil Nadu coupled with scant rainfall has led to a drastic shortfall in food for migratory birds. The abundance of aquatic insects during the monsoon makes Ranganathittu a favourite abode for birds. Wildlife experts say due to the depletion in water levels acquatic vegetation is less and so the birds don't get enough food.

           "This year you know we have received very little rainfall and naturally Cauvery is not its own self. We are having problems between the two States regarding Cauvery water, so naturally it has affected the bird life also," said SK Chakravarthy, chief conservator of Karnataka State forest department. Last month Karnataka was forced to release water to the lower basin Tamil Nadu. Chakravarthy also said the change in crop pattern due to drought has led to food shortage for the birds. "Karnataka has not taken up any paddy cultivation this year. With the result that some of the birds, the varieties which would be in paddy fields in search of insects, that particular habitat, they have tried to find some other areas. We do not have those varieties," said Chakravarthy.

           The latest bird census has shown a 22 per cent reduction in the number of water fowls in the area. Spread over an area of 0.67 square km, the sanctuary is 128 km away from State Capital Bangalore. IT boasts of rare and beautiful birds like pelican, painted stork, spoon bill, snake bird, Ibis, egret and more, but this time many of the usual residents are conspicuously absent. Ranganathittu attained the status of a bird sanctuary in 1940, thanks to efforts of noted ornithologist Salim Ali.

-ANI