Bharatpur Bird Reserve dries out - Birds leave

Alan D

For the first time in living memory the Keoladeo Bird Reserve near Agra, one of the world's most important nature reserves for water birds, has dried up. A much below average monsoon rainfall and demands by the villages which surround the park for crop irrigation water meant that very little water reached the park from the nearly dam. This small amount of water quickly evaporated.

Man Singh, a rickshaw driver and guide in the park for over 20 years, says he has never seen this happen before. A forty year old park naturalist whose home is in one of the villages just outside the park has also never seen the park run dry during the winter bird migration season before. With the birds gone the park management have allowed the villagers to pasture thousands of cattle inside the park. This has led other park naturalists to jokingly change the park's name to "Bharatpur Cow Reserve".

The effect on the tourist industry has been severe. Park naturalists sit huddled around small fires just inside the park entrance waiting for the occasional customer. The park rickshaw drivers are having a lean time too, trying to find clients to pay to see the occasional bird. A sign by the ticket booth explains the situation but as we stepped up to the booth to pay our 200 rupees each for a day ticket no one pointed this out. Luckily we had been forewarned but other tourists have left the park in a resentful mood.

The effect on the local hotel business has also been serious with some hotels only at 20% capacity at a time when they should be full.

Belatedly the park authorities have started pumping up ground water at some points but there is criticism from the naturalists that this should have been done from August onwards. However, this would have only partially solved the problem as most of the fish species, which are the diet of many water birds, enter the park from the nearby dam.

The unusual situation this year has led to a search for solutions, should this become a recurring problem. Two schemes are currently under consideration - pumping water from Bund Bharata, a reservoir about 50 kms away in the Aravalli Hills, or laying a pipeline from the Chambal River, about the same distance away. This would solve the competing demands from the park and the local villagers for precious water in the event of more subnormal monsoons.

As for this year, prospective visitors would be well advised to stay in a Bharatpur hotel and take a taxi (about 800 rupees) to Bund Bharata for an excellent day's bird watching in magnificent scenery, for which there is no entrance fee.

indiaguide

Recently I alos visited Bharatpur.due to luck of water it has lost it's beauty.But now one can find 2000 cows around park.That can be stop .

Pintueli

Hey...Alan! You write pretty well and in great detail. I like reading what you write.

By the way, if you are game enough to travel to Kutch(again), there's a beautiful dam just 20kms from Bhuj (down the airport road) - the Rudramata Dam. This winter, the lake was full of hundreds of migratory birds. got an opportunity to go there just three days back and was exhilarated with the teeming life there!
Pelicans...flamingoes...grey/reef herons... teals... spoonbills... shovellers...brahminy ducks... pochards...little/middle egrets... coots...dabchicks...curlews/snipes/stilts...cormorants/shags/darters/...storks...painted storks...pintails...munias...w hite/black ibis... ruddybreasted crakes...kingfishers...and yes, demoiselle cranes!! Also managed to catch sight of black-winged kit , rufous backed shrike and, a pair of Rollers!!

It is a good site for bird watching and the local folks around are very hospitable.

Try it while you are there the next time!!

I am new here so, please tolerate my butting in...

May the (fine-feathered) tribe increase!

Alan D

Thanks for the info Pintueli. We weren't aware this place existed. Sounds like you got some of the missing Bharatpur birds down there. If we manage to visit Bhuj again we will check out the Rudramata Dam. That's an interesting and varied selection of species.