NEW DELHI: Delhi can now boast of a first-of-its-kind ‘Goraiya Gram’ for protection and conservation of its state bird sparrow in Garhi Mandu city forest. More such dedicated sparrow villages are planned at several other places in the capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday. Two insect hostels have been created at the facility as sparrows feed on insects and worms.
Pollution and excessive use of pesticides is leading to a decline in the number of sparrows. Considering this, the forest and wildlife department is trying to provide ecological support for the bird’s protection and conservation, the minister said.“We have tried to give them nesting places and food sources in the ‘Goraiya Gram’. We do not only want to increase the green cover in Delhi but create a healthy ecological system and give a suitable environment to birds and animals,” Rai said.
While March 20 is observed as World Sparrow Day since 2010, the humble bird was adopted as the Delhi’s state bird in 2012. Bombay Natural History Society assistant director Sohail Madan said the use of pesticides and insecticides has led to a scarcity of food for the sparrows. “We have planted native berries like karonda and kundni, grasses and shrubs, and kept feeder boxes, artificial nests and earthen pots in the sparrow village, which was opened to the public last month,” the conservationist, who helped build the Goraiya Gram, said.
(With agency inputs)