NEW DELHI: The Surajpur Wetland in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida which boasts a diversity of water birds witnessed low summer breeding. According to the findings of the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC), 2019 there were more numbers of resident and migratory species and the numbers have gone up from 1,920 in 2018 to 3,034 this year. However, the ecologist TK Roy claimed that prolonged summer and extreme heat has affected the annual summer breeding.
“The wetland is depended on rain and the Tilpata canal, especially during the summer. However, this season, the canal supply was closed owing to farmers’ demand. This has harmed the wetland,” said Roy, who is also the Delhi coordinator of AWC. Some of the popular birds which are seen in the Surajpur Wetland are Asian Openbill, Black-headed Ibis, Purple Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, Purple Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Indian Moorhen, Little Grebe, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Bronje-winged Jacana.
“Because the land has dried up, the birds are mostly in hiding. There are still chances of good breeding if the July rainfall is sufficient. This has happened earlier as well, but this season the breeding has been exceptionally less,” he claimed. However, Ananda Banerjee, wildlife photographer and conservationist claimed that without scientific data low breeding cannot be established on the basis of observation.
UP Forest Department in collaboration with WWF-India and supported by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, had started the conservation planning and development of Surajpur wetland in 2010.