Restoration plan bears fruit as Wular witnesses new bird sightings after decades

Many more sightings expected in coming time: WUCMA Officials

With conservative efforts going on in Asia’s second largest freshwater lake in north Kashmir, the Smew, scientifically known as Mergellus albellus and the Long-tailed Duck were among the new sightings in the lake after 100 years.

An official of Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that besides these sightings, many new migratory bird species are expected to be seen in wular as the wular restoration plan is bearing fruits with process going on large scale besides public awareness playing significance role in going with the mission.

He said that the Smew, which is a species of duck and is the only living member of the genus Mergellus, was sighted in the lake recently. "The last known record of this migratory bird from Kashmir is from the year 1907," he said.

Now a female pair of these birds was photographed by Showkat Ahmad, a staff of WUCMA along with Ansar Ahmad an avid birder from Wular Lake, the official said, that the long-tailed Duck, Clangula hyemalis, a rare duck species found in European and American continents and assessed as highly vulnerable on the IUCN Red list were also seen foraging in lake.

Another official said that the net area of the Lake at present is 130 square kilometer with an encroachment of 380 Kanals and 11 Marlas.

He said that the area under encroachment is 0.001%. Eviction of 20 Kanals and 11 Marlas have been achieved and eviction of balance encroachment is going on while all efforts are made to retrieve the balance encroachments from Lake in which officials of Revenue, Forest & WUCMA departments are working with synergy to remove encroachments from the lake.

He also said that the encroachments under plantations and cultivations which form the major chunk of encroachments shall be cleared by the end of this financial year while the water holding capacity through the Wular Action Plan of Lake is likely to be completed in 2022–23 at a cost of Rs. 200 Crore.

“For the restoration of the Lake, 4.35 Sq kms area has been cleaned so far while work for a pedestrian (non-motorable) pathway being built around Wular Lake is ongoing. The Lake, he said, is also at the top of the list of places where bird watchers go. “Here, bird lovers can see rare species like the alpine swift and the Himalayan woodpecker,” he added—(KNO)