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The Deepor wetlands in Assam are seeing decreasing number of avian guests every year. Hemanta Phukan wades through the birdwatchers' concerns'
Wetlands function like nature's kidneys ' they clean and control the effluents polluting our cities and towns. In addition, wetlands are ecological hotspots immensely inviting to the nature watchers.
The Deepor Beel (Beel is a colloquial term for Wetlands), one of the sites listed in the Ramsar Convention, is the stomping ground of around 270 species of migratory and resident birds. The other Ramsar site in the north-east is the Loktuk Lake in Manipur. In February 2009, the Assam state government declared 4.14 square kilometers a sanctuary, of the total 10sqkm of Deepor Beel, in an attempt at conservation and protection against encroachment and pollution. The Deepor Beel is surrounded by the river Brahmaputra and the Jalukbari hills in the north, Rani-Garbhanga Reserve forests in the south, Basistha river in the east and the Kalmoni river in the west. Earlier, the beel was connected to the Brahmaputra through Barhola beel and the wetlands of Pandu area, but it was disconnected when National Highway 37 was built. 70 per cent of Deepor Beel falls under the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authorities (GMDA), and the rest is connected to Rani-Garbhanga and Jorasal Reserve Forests, contiguous with the forests of neighbouring Meghalaya.
Nearly one hundred migratory birds visit Deepor Beel every year in the winter, beckoning bird watchers by the droves from all parts of the country and abroad. Out of 270 bird species found at the site, as many as 70 species are migratory birds, flying in from the other side of the Himalayan range, including Mongolia and Siberia. Divisional forest officer, Guwahati Wildlife Division, S.K. Seal Sarmah said, 'The forest department with the Gauhati University and local NGOs carried a one-day survey on March 30, 2010 and found a total of 7,535 birds of at least 64 species. Out of these, 24 species are of migratory birds and 40 species are of resident birds.' Of late, several migratory as well as resident birds have been missing at this Ramsar site, including the Spot-billed Pelican, Bar-headed Goose and Baer's Pochard. It was way back in 2005 that 25 Baer's Pochard birds were spotted by a group of bird watchers from Switzerland; nobody has seen them ever since. Ditto with the Bar-headed Goose, which used to traverse 2000 kms from Mongolia till a few years back. There is also great concern for the Greater Adjutant Stork, numbering about 800 all over the world, 60 per cent of which is found in Assam. Bird watching remains the main attraction at the wetlands. For ornithologists interested in tracking flight routes of migratory birds coming to Deepor Beel, the forest department conducted surveillance with the help of remote sensing satellite, for the first time in the region. A UN sponsored scheme was executed in February last with the help of a Mumbai-based NGO. 'Radio transmitters were fitted on the birds to trace them. Most of them came to Deepor Beel from across the Himalayas in the summer; they proceed to China and Mongolia,' Sarmah said.
The Deepor Beel is also a water source for the wild elephants. Herds of tuskers cross the Kamakhya-Jogighopa railway line to come to Deepor Beel, thus endangering their lives in the process. With increase in rail traffic, elephant accident cases here have gone up in recent years; the last accident took place on February 28, killing one elephant. However, the Wildlife Trust of India, WWF and the NF Railway have started round-the-clock patrolling along the railway tracks to avert further accidents.
Fishing is proving to be a serious threat to the birds and aquatic animals. 'Local people are not aware and fishing practices continue despite the declaration of the site as a sanctuary,' said Lakshman Teron, a local youth who guides tourists and research workers at the Ramsar site. Guwahati Wildlife Division DFO Sarmah, however, said that actual demarcation of the sanctuary had not yet been made. 'On April 22 and 23, a joint survey was planned by the Forest Department with the State Revenue Department to demarcate the declared sanctuary area of 4.14 square kilometre. But early monsoon disrupted the planning and it was postponed,' he said.
Another problem the Deepor Beel faces is water pollution. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) utilizes an area up stream from the Beel, at Boragaon village, as a garbage dumping ground. Polluted water ends up getting mixed with Deepor Beel. Plastic bottles are often seen floating on water. 'The Forest Department has taken the matter seriously. We talked to the GMC in this regard. Upon testing the Beel water in the State Science and Technology Department laboratory, water contamination was found within the permissible limit, but the GMC has assured that they will stop dumping there as soon as another suitable dumping ground is found,' he said.
For conservation of a natural site, participation of the local community is a must. Their lifestyle has immense implications for the local environment. 'People are not aware and they do not know that a site like Deepor Beel has the potential for eco-tourism and hospitality industry', said Teron. Even the economic situation has much to gain from inclusive development that answers what's-in-it-for-me conundrum for the people.
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When foreign shores beckonThe Deepor wetlands in Assam are seeing decreasing number of avian guests every year. Hemanta Phukan wades through the birdwatchers' concerns'
Wetlands function like nature's kidneys ' they clean and control the effluents polluting our cities and towns. In addition, wetlands are ecological hotspots immensely inviting to the nature watchers.
The Deepor Beel (Beel is a colloquial term for Wetlands), one of the sites listed in the Ramsar Convention, is the stomping ground of around 270 species of migratory and resident birds. The other Ramsar site in the north-east is the Loktuk Lake in Manipur. In February 2009, the Assam state government declared 4.14 square kilometers a sanctuary, of the total 10sqkm of Deepor Beel, in an attempt at conservation and protection against encroachment and pollution. The Deepor Beel is surrounded by the river Brahmaputra and the Jalukbari hills in the north, Rani-Garbhanga Reserve forests in the south, Basistha river in the east and the Kalmoni river in the west. Earlier, the beel was connected to the Brahmaputra through Barhola beel and the wetlands of Pandu area, but it was disconnected when National Highway 37 was built. 70 per cent of Deepor Beel falls under the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authorities (GMDA), and the rest is connected to Rani-Garbhanga and Jorasal Reserve Forests, contiguous with the forests of neighbouring Meghalaya.
Nearly one hundred migratory birds visit Deepor Beel every year in the winter, beckoning bird watchers by the droves from all parts of the country and abroad. Out of 270 bird species found at the site, as many as 70 species are migratory birds, flying in from the other side of the Himalayan range, including Mongolia and Siberia. Divisional forest officer, Guwahati Wildlife Division, S.K. Seal Sarmah said, 'The forest department with the Gauhati University and local NGOs carried a one-day survey on March 30, 2010 and found a total of 7,535 birds of at least 64 species. Out of these, 24 species are of migratory birds and 40 species are of resident birds.' Of late, several migratory as well as resident birds have been missing at this Ramsar site, including the Spot-billed Pelican, Bar-headed Goose and Baer's Pochard. It was way back in 2005 that 25 Baer's Pochard birds were spotted by a group of bird watchers from Switzerland; nobody has seen them ever since. Ditto with the Bar-headed Goose, which used to traverse 2000 kms from Mongolia till a few years back. There is also great concern for the Greater Adjutant Stork, numbering about 800 all over the world, 60 per cent of which is found in Assam. Bird watching remains the main attraction at the wetlands. For ornithologists interested in tracking flight routes of migratory birds coming to Deepor Beel, the forest department conducted surveillance with the help of remote sensing satellite, for the first time in the region. A UN sponsored scheme was executed in February last with the help of a Mumbai-based NGO. 'Radio transmitters were fitted on the birds to trace them. Most of them came to Deepor Beel from across the Himalayas in the summer; they proceed to China and Mongolia,' Sarmah said.
The Deepor Beel is also a water source for the wild elephants. Herds of tuskers cross the Kamakhya-Jogighopa railway line to come to Deepor Beel, thus endangering their lives in the process. With increase in rail traffic, elephant accident cases here have gone up in recent years; the last accident took place on February 28, killing one elephant. However, the Wildlife Trust of India, WWF and the NF Railway have started round-the-clock patrolling along the railway tracks to avert further accidents.
Fishing is proving to be a serious threat to the birds and aquatic animals. 'Local people are not aware and fishing practices continue despite the declaration of the site as a sanctuary,' said Lakshman Teron, a local youth who guides tourists and research workers at the Ramsar site. Guwahati Wildlife Division DFO Sarmah, however, said that actual demarcation of the sanctuary had not yet been made. 'On April 22 and 23, a joint survey was planned by the Forest Department with the State Revenue Department to demarcate the declared sanctuary area of 4.14 square kilometre. But early monsoon disrupted the planning and it was postponed,' he said.
Another problem the Deepor Beel faces is water pollution. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) utilizes an area up stream from the Beel, at Boragaon village, as a garbage dumping ground. Polluted water ends up getting mixed with Deepor Beel. Plastic bottles are often seen floating on water. 'The Forest Department has taken the matter seriously. We talked to the GMC in this regard. Upon testing the Beel water in the State Science and Technology Department laboratory, water contamination was found within the permissible limit, but the GMC has assured that they will stop dumping there as soon as another suitable dumping ground is found,' he said.
For conservation of a natural site, participation of the local community is a must. Their lifestyle has immense implications for the local environment. 'People are not aware and they do not know that a site like Deepor Beel has the potential for eco-tourism and hospitality industry', said Teron. Even the economic situation has much to gain from inclusive development that answers what's-in-it-for-me conundrum for the people.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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