Sambhar’s ecology among worst: Report
ALARM Carcasses of about 18,000 migratory birds have been found near the Rajasthan lake, triggering concerns among environmentalists
JAIPUR: Rajasthan’s Sambhar lake, the largest inland salt lake in India, where the carcasses of close to 18,000 migratory birds have been found since November 10 to the concern of environmentalists and ornithologists, is among the eight worst-rated wetlands in the country when it comes to ecosystem management , according to a draft report prepared by the environment ministry in consultation with several independent experts.
The environment ministry in August started the process of preparing a health index of 100 major wetlands in India. An environment ministry official, requesting anonymity, said the final peer-reviewed report is likely to be released by the first week of December.
According to another official familiar with the development, the ministry asked state forest departments to self-evaluate the wetlands in their territories on various parameters and submit a report.
“The parameters for the wetlands ecosystem health assessment were seven including suitability of water quality for aquatic life, the extent of plant invasion in water bodies and inflow and outflow of water channels,” said the second official quoted above, who also requested not to be identified.
The self-assessment was then evaluated by a group consisting of experts from the Gujaratbased Geer Ecological Education and Research (GEER ) Foundation;wetlands International South Asia (WISA) World Wide Fund for Nature-india; the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History; the Environment Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO); and the Chilika Development Authority.
The committee of experts ranked these wetlands on eight levels with A being the best and
E being the worst, officials said.
According to a copy of the draft report seen by HT, the A category (A+ and A-) includes wetlands such as Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Little Rann of Kutchh in Gujarat, and the Sunderbans in West Bengal, which have the best ecosystem management in place. In all, 19 wetlands fall in this category.
Wetlands in the B level (B+ and B-) include Pong Dam in Himachal Pradesh, Vembanand Kol in Kerala, Chilika in Odisha and Doyang in Meghalaya, where the existing ecosystem management needs to be strengthened, the draft report said. Twenty six wetlands fall in this category.
The C category (C+ and C-) have 21 wetlands such as Upper Ganga Canal in Uttar Pradesh, Point Calimere in Tamil Nadu, Kokkare Bellur Bird Sanctuary in Karnataka and Bhoj Wetland in Madhya Pradesh, the report said, adding that in these wetlands, vast improvement is needed.
But, the highest number of wetlands, 34, fall in the lowest categories, D and E, which, according to the evaluation, needs “radical” improvement in management of the ecosystems for aquatic life to survive. Of these, eight wetlands are in the lowest E category.
“Sambhar Lake has got the lowest rating and this is a reason of concern for us,” said a Rajasthan government official, who requested anonymity.
Sambhar salt lake, located 80 km southwest of the city of Jaipur, is recognized as a wetland of international importance and a key wintering area for tens of thousands birds. The discovery of thousands of bird carcasses n the area since November 10 has raised concern among ornithologists and environmentalists. Until Monday, 17,984 birds had been found dead in the surroundings since November 10.
The cause of the deaths, according to the Bikaner-based College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, is suspected to be avian botulism, a neuromuscular illness of birds.
Rajasthan’s environment secretary Sreya Guha said corrective measures have been put in place, based on inputs from experts at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal and Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly. “We sent them samples earlier,” she said.
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