Surajpur wetland to host main event of week-long nature fest on Jan 31
The event will see interactive workshops, guided birdwatching tours, children’s contest, photography contest, and cultural performances, among other activities, said officials of the Gautam Budh Nagar forest department
The state forest department will be organising a seven-day ‘Nature and Bird Festival’ at various wetlands across the state from January 27 till February 2, which is celebrated as World Wetlands Day.
The main event of the seven-day festival will be held at the Surajpur wetland in Greater Noida on January 31, when a throng of visitors is expected there, said forest department officials.
Spread over 308 hectares, of which 60 hectares is a lake, the wetland is city’s largest reserve forest and one of three major birding hot spots, the others being Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Dhanauri wetland.
The event will see interactive workshops, guided birdwatching tours, children’s contest, photography contest, and cultural performances, among other activities, said officials of the Gautam Budh Nagar forest department, in the presence of Uttar Pradesh’s environment minister KP Malik.
Addressing a press conference at Okhla Bird Sanctuary in Noida on Wednesday, Malik said, “The special event aims at provide opportunity to the public and bird lovers to enjoy birding and become more aware about wildlife and its conservation. During the seven-day programme, various events will be organised to promote nature.”
Divisional forest officer (DFO), Gautam Budh Nagar, P K Srivastava said, “Every year, the festival is organised in various districts across the state to showcase their respective preserved forest areas and this time, the main event is being held at Surajpur wetland. We are expecting around 5,000-6,000 people to arrive on the day, including children, birdwatchers, nature-lovers, environment activists, among others.”
“The aim is to increase the participation of people of all ages and to ensure that forest is made a destination for masses to spend their vacations, and make it one of the best possible tourist destinations of the National Capital Region (NCR),” said the DFO.
Founder, SheWings (a personal care company that aims to create range of sustainable and eco-friendly female hygiene products), Madan Mohit Bharadwaj said, “Instead of taking our children to malls and movies, we must take them to forest bird sanctuaries and wetlands in order to promote our nature. The upcoming festival at the Surajpur Wetland is expected to be a big success.”
Wetland will remain open to visitors from 10am to 5pm on January 31 and the entry will be free of cost, said forest officials.