Okhla Bird Sanctuary dry for over 20 days

The Noida's Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS) has remained dry for the past 20 days, to facilitate canal repair work, and the lack of water appears to have affected the arrival of winter migratory birds, bird watchers and park officials.

According to the report of Hindustan Times, the ongoing repair work is carried out every year, but this year it was more extensive, officials added.

Binod Kumar Singh, executive engineer at the irrigation department said that “the water inlet gates needed more repair work; The rubber gasket had to be changed and greasing and greasing work done. This is done throughout the state at this time of year since farmers do not need irrigation water during this month. Usually, we finish on November 15, but this time there was more work to do”.

Officials said the repairs are expected to be completed Tuesday, when the water will be allowed to return to the park, after a lapse of nearly 20 days.

“We expect to release the water on Tuesday night and it will take about four days for the park's water body to fill completely,” Singh said.

“Migratory birds seem to be delayed this year due to weather conditions and the lack of water in the area. We are seeing fewer migratory birds. However, we expect the count to increase once it gets a bit cooler," said PK Srivastava, the division's forestry officer.

However, the experts said that most of the migratory birds visiting Delhi-NCR seek out nearby water bodies as that ensures the availability of food such as fish, worms and insects. A habitat that has stayed dry for nearly a month will keep the birds away, sometimes even for the rest of the season, they said.

Okhla Bird Sanctuary

During the months of October to March, the Okhla Bird Sanctuary is visited by thousands of migratory birds, including Shoveler Duck, Northern Pintail, Common Teal, Gadwal Duck and Blue Winged Teal. It is an ideal place for nature lovers and bird watchers.

Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS) has an area of ​​about 4 square kilometres and is located at the entrance of Noida in the Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. It is located at the point where the Yamuna River leaves the territory of Delhi and enters the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the 15 bird sanctuaries in the state.

Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS) is located in the National Capital Region, Delhi (NCR) on the river Yamuna and Okhla Barrage at the entrance of Noida in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. and the eastern boundary in Noida and the western boundary in the NCT of Delhi. It is one of the 466 IBAs (Important Bird Areas) in India.

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