Yeida starts cleaning Dhanauri wetland ahead of arrival of migratory birds

Many birders claimed that a few migratory birds have already been spotted at other wetlands while Dhanauri is completely devoid of such birds

With migratory birds slowly making their presence felt in the city’s wetlands but not in Dhanauri--one of the largest wetlands that was once home to huge number of bird species, the horticulture department of Yeida has started cleaning the wetland ahead of the birding season.

In September, maximum Sarus cranes (84) were found in Dhanauri out of the 170 spotted in Gautam Budh Nagar district despite the wetland running dry in April due to lack of upkeep and heat (HT Archive)

Currently, hyacinth removal at Dhanauri is going on in full swing after a few birders approached Dhirendra Singh, requesting him to get the wetland cleaned before migratory birds start coming in by mid November. The MLA said he asked the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) to get the wetland cleaned.

“We have deputed about 15 workers at the site; they will be clearing hyacinth from over 25 to 30 hectares of the lake. We have also taken the forest department in loop. It’s important to remove the hyacinth as birds get stuck in it. It will take maximum two weeks to complete the work,” said Anand Mohan, deputy director of horticulture department, Yeida.

“It is a matter of pride that we have such a big wetland in our area. Now that the Noida International Airport is coming up at Jewar, we can also develop Dhanauri as a major tourist place. However, this time, the wetland suffered from lack of upkeep, with hyacinth covering the entire lake. We urged the Yeida’s horticulture department and now, they are removing hyacinth from the wetland. The work will be completed in the next few days,” said Singh.

He added they had even approached the forest department. “The divisional forest department had some issues with regard to release of funds, so the work (cleaning Dhanauri) was getting delayed. We took help of the Yeida’s horticulture department to get the work done as migratory birds may start arriving soon,” said Singh.

According to birders, migratory birds, especially waterfowls, start arriving in large numbers by November. Its population in the wetlands peaks in December. Many birders claimed that a few migratory birds have already been spotted at other habitats of the city while Dhanauri is completely devoid of such birds.

“We observed some of the migratory bird species at Okhla bird sanctuary and Surajpur like Osprey and a few smaller falcons but not waterfowls yet. However, it’s compete silence at Dhanauri . Migration is yet to begin properly, though factors, such as hyacinth growth, slows down the process,” said Jaswinder Singh, a Noida-based birder.

One of the major wetlands and birding hotspots of the city, Dhanauri is spread over 101 hectares. Once home to over 211 species of birds, the wetland has suffered in terms of habitat loss, which in turn has led to a drop in the bird population over the years.

This April, the forest department rushed to fill the wetland using borewell after it ran dry for the first time due to lack of conservation efforts and heat. Yet, in September, maximum Sarus cranes (84) were found in this wetland out of the 170 spotted in the district.

In January, the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) 2021, held by Wetlands International South Asia and the district forest department, found over four times drop in bird population as compared to 2020. The AWC 2021 found only 1,344 birds of 48 species (20 resident and 28 migratory) in Dhanauri against 6,227 birds of 59 species (21 resident and 38 migratory) found in January last year.