Capital amps up precautions as more birds are found dead

Samples of dead birds have been sent for testing to ascertain if they died from avian influenza; reports expected by Monday

NEW DELHI: At least 10 ducks and a couple of crows were found dead between Friday and Saturday in the Sanjay Lake, a popular waterbody developed by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in east Delhi’s Trilokpuri near Mayur Vihar, sparking fears of an outbreak of bird flu (avian influenza) in the city.

A senior DDA official said that 24 crows were found dead over a period of four days between January 5 and January 8 in the district park in Jasola Vihar in south-east Delhi.

On Saturday, four district parks — in Hauz Khas, Hastsal, Dwarka sector 9 and Sanjay Lake — were closed for public. The district park in Jasola has not been shut for public as of now.

“We are monitoring the situation. We have closed Hauz Khas park as a lot of people visit it, especially during the weekend,” said the official.

A senior DDA official said, “At Sanjay Lake, at least 10 ducks were found dead. Their samples have been sent to ascertain the cause of death. Besides that, at least 24 crows have died in the last four days at the district park in Jasola. DDA is monitoring the situation closely and is in touch with other government agencies. Meanwhile, precautionary measures like spraying of disinfectants is being carried out in all DDA parks.”

The deaths of the ducks and the crows came to fore on Saturday,

a day after the carcasses of dozens of crows were found in a park in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar Phase 3, Dwarka and Hastsal .

The deaths have triggered fear of an outbreak of bird flu and has prompted authorities to collect samples of dead birds and send them to laboratories to ascertain if the deaths were caused by the potential spread of the virus, similar to the one that has affected at least six other states. The report of the samples collected on Friday is expected on Monday.

The death of the birds in the last few days has also prompted the government to order closure of the Ghazipur wholesale poultry market for 10 days and impose a ban on the import of live poultry in the city.

Also, on Saturday, at least three crows were found dead in three separate parks located near Krishna Kunj Apartments, a residential society in Rohini Sector-15. The samples of the three birds were not collected before the carcasses being buried by the authorities, as officials believed the deaths were not caused by avian influenza.

“Sample testing is done only when birds die in groups of 10 or more. As far as the carcasses of the three crows are concerned, they were found in three separate parks, each at a distance of nearly 300 metres,” said a municipal corporation doctor, who visited the spots but did not want to be named.

According to the doctor, the crows in Rohini were found dead around 11.30 am by residents, who informed the local resident welfare association (RWA) and its officials in turn alerted the authorities.

On Saturday morning, 10 ducks died one after another at the Sanjay Lake complex, where nearly 450 ducks are kept and looked after by caretakers employed by the DDA.

When HT visited Sanjay Lake on Saturday afternoon, one of the largest green areas in east Delhi and spread over 69 hectares, several dead fish were also found floating in the artificial lake located within the premises.

The employees working there said that apart from 10 ducks that died on Saturday morning, two more ducks had died late on Friday evening, while two crows were also found dead in the park the same morning.

“Around 6am, all the ducks were taken out of the barn and left in the lake to swim. Around 11am, four-five of them began swimming in circles.. Some more ducks also showed similar symptoms. We immediately rushed them to the barn and gave them medicine. But 10 of them died,” said a caretaker.

A security guard at the premises said a medical team, along with DDA officials, arrived after being informed about the deaths and collected samples of five-six dead ducks.

Despite the death of the ducks, the recreational area remained open and visitors, including children, were seen playing, walking, fishing, and boating in the lake on Saturday.

Many visitors were unaware of the deaths of the ducks while a few did know about the possible scare of the bird flu in some states.

Farid, a resident of Trilokpuri who claimed to be present near the lake when the ducks died, said “I often come here (Sanjay Lake) to collect dry wood. Today, some 12-14 ducks fell unconscious soon after they were taken out of the lake. They all died and were buried.”