Bird flu death toll rises to 3,500 in Himachal’s Pong Dam, CM to review situation
Thakur will chair two meetings to review the situation arising from the bird flu outbreak and Covid-19.
With the number of birds dying at the Pong Dam wetland due to avian influenza in the district is on the rise, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has decided to visit Dharamshala on Friday to review the situation.
As per the itinerary issued by the chief minister’s office, Thakur will chair two meetings to review the situation arising from the bird flu outbreak and Covid-19.
Speaking to the media persons in Shimla, Thakur said he may also visit the Pong Lake area if the state election commission permits as the model code of conduct has come into force in the state ahead of Panchayati Raj Institutions elections. He said the teams working in the lake have been provided with necessary medicines and PPE kits.
Meanwhile, Kangra deputy commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati said that as of now more than 3,500 migratory and local birds have died in the wetland area.
Nearly 90% of birds are bar-headed geese while species like common teal, common pochards, and grey-legged geese have also died.
“About 60-70 crows were found dead. No death of poultry birds has been reported. As a precautionary measure, samples of 119 poultry birds have been sent for testing, and reports are awaited,” said Prajapati. The jal shakti department has sent water samples for testing.
Prajapati said he held a meeting with the sub-divisional magistrates of Indora, Fatehpur, Jawali and Dehra and necessary directions have been issued.
The administration urged people to cooperate with the authorities. “However, if they don’t comply with the orders we would be left with no option but to penalise them,” he said.
The animal husbandry department has also formed over a dozen rapid response teams to deal with the disposal of dead birds.
Forest minister Rakesh Pathania said an alert has been sounded in the wildlife sanctuaries and water bodies where migratory birds are mostly found in winter.
BIRD FLU SCARE IN BILASPUR, SOLAN
Meanwhile, the death of over 50 crows at Jamthal village in Bilaspur district triggered fears of an outbreak in the Gobind Sagar Lake area. Samples of dead crows have been sent for testing, said Dr Lal Gopal, deputy director of the animal husbandry department, Bilaspur.
Panic gripped the Parwanoo area in Solan district after 500 dead chickens were found dumped on the roadside. Deputy director of animal husbandry, Solan, BB Gupta said that the samples have been sent for testing. He said five rapid response teams have been formed to meet any eventuality.
The deaths of migratory birds were first reported in the Pong Wetland area on September 28, 2020, and the outbreak of H5N1 was confirmed on January 4.
DEAD PIGEON FOUND AT KANGRA MP’S HOME
A dead pigeon was found at Kangra MP Kishan Kapoor’s house near Dharamshala on Thursday. The family informed the authorities about the dead bird after which a team of animal husbandry department reached the spot and took the bird for disposal as per protocol.
