Noida: A group of birders and environmental stakeholders has sought urgent reforms in the maintenance practices of the Okhla Barrage in a proposal to the Uttar Pradesh Forest and Irrigation departments, for reducing ecological harm to the nearby Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
The proposal, supported by 78 signatories under the name “Okhla Bird Sanctuary Conservation Collective”, highlights repeated drainage and complete drying of the sanctuary during barrage repair and maintenance cycles are causing significant ecological stress to the wetland ecosystem, which supports over 300 bird species, including both migratory waterbirds and resident birds.
On behalf of the Collective, Shalini Singh, founder Ecojeev Life Foundation, urged both departments to adopt revised policy guidelines ahead of the upcoming maintenance cycle. “We believe, with due ecological considerations to Sanctuary’s wetland ecosystem and birds/other life forms, Barrage repairs & maintenance protocols can immediately be optimised to minimise the deleterious ecological impacts on the Sanctuary/ birds, while concurrently meeting the Irrigation Department’s current key objectives.”
The suggestions include rescheduling unavoidable drainage to reduce ecological disruption, a shift from the current October–November maintenance window to late September–mid-October to avoid peak migratory bird arrival periods. It also calls for strict protection during the pre-summer and pre-monsoon seasons, critical for breeding resident birds and for departing migratory species.
The Okhla Bird Sanctuary, protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, is recognised as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.