Delhi amps up precautions as more birds drop dead

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.