Other States - Rajasthan   

Wildlife lovers hopeful of water to Ghana Park

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, FEB.4. The wildlife lovers who are on the warpath demanding release of water to the world famous bird sanctuary, the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, from the Panchana dam, have not seemingly given up on the State Government's good sense in this matter. Prior to the next hearing by the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court, scheduled for February 21 in Delhi on the issue, almost in a last-ditch effort they have approached the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, once again.

Their hope perhaps emanates from the fact that Ms.Raje herself had ordered the release of water from the Panchana dam on September 4, 2004 though the order could not be carried out following opposition from politicians from her party in Karauli area, where Panchana is situated.

That was why, Harsh Vardhan, the general secretary of the Tourism and Wildlife Society of India, who appeared before CEC on January 31, to plead the cause of water for the Keoladeo Park, pointed it out to the committee that the Chief Minister, who was away to Davos would not be perhaps holding the same viewpoint as that of the senior bureaucracy which represented the Government there.

"On behalf of the conservation community and the people around the Park and those along the banks of the Gambhiri river, it is requested to honour earlier decision to provide flowing water to this Park, during the annual monsoon(400-500 MCFT). The Park is already on death bed and shall be driven towards extinction if it does not receive your blessings,'' the latest memorandum from Mr.Vardhan on behalf of the Save K.N.Park Committee, said.

The Save K.N.Park Committee, which has sent out 250 SOS e-mails to various conservation bodies all over the world, in the meanwhile has started getting responses in the form of appeals addressed to the Chief Minister.

Mr.Vardhan and Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, chairman of the Save K.N.Park Committee, who met media persons here today, threatened with large scale protests, if the State Government were not to commit on assured supply of flowing river water to the Park every monsoon. The Governments in the past had gone on record on the need to release water from the Panchana dam to the Keoladeo Park, but always shied away from making a commitment, they charged.

Copies of minutes of a meeting presided over by the State's Chief Secretary on June 21, 1991, distributed to the media on the occasion clearly show that the bureaucracy was aware of the need of release water to the Park from Panchana dam, fed by the Gambhiri river. "Water should be released every year from Panchana dam (Karauli) in the beginning of monsoon itself, i.e, first week of July, so that it reaches Ajan bund via Sebla head by 15th of July...'' it says.

Interestingly, the senior bureaucracy that time also was talking about bringing either the waters of the Chambal or the Yamuna to the Park. Showing remarkable consistency still they are talking about laying a pipeline to bring the waters of the Chambal to the Park. The meeting of June 21, 1991 had noted, "The irrigation Department will conduct a detailed survey for the scheme of bringing water from the Chambal river by pipeline and tunnel and submit a report to the Government''. The pipeline after 14 years still remains a pipe dream.

Not that the Park enthusiasts have any appreciation for this thought. "The survival of the Park depends on the availability of flowing water during the annual monsoon to commence the ecological cycle,'' Mr.Vardhan pointed out. The Chambal river water, as it needs to be lifted and then piped would not carry the necessary ingredients like plankton and other micro organisms in it, he pointed out. "The Park needs non-vegetarian water for its life forms, resident birds and the avians which come from the northern hemisphere. They are offering vegetarian water,'' Mr.Vardhan said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Wildlife lovers hopeful of water to Ghana Park
More dams needed for India's development: Vajpayee
Govt. remarks on oil refinery misleading: Gehlot

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu