A month after over 30 black bucks died after consuming sewage water that had flowed into their enclosures from a drain pipe opening into the Yamuna river, the Delhi Zoo authorities claim that they are yet to come up with a long-term solution to the problem due to shortage of funds.
While the electric barricade that was to be put up around rhino enclosure moat – that was also receiving backflow of contaminated water – has not arrived yet leaving the animals exposed to the contaminated water, the black bucks continue to be kept under surveillance in a much smaller enclosure.
“The barricade has to come in from Bangalore and we are hopeful that by next week things would be in place. The black buck enclosure is in a low-lying area and due to heavy rain and floods the dirty water entered the moats. This problem has occurred due to fly ash chocking channel No. 15 that discharges the storm-water into the Yamuna. The chocking of the channel results in water-logging inside the boundary wall which creates serious threat to the animals,'' said a senior Union Environment Ministry official.
He also noted that the problem is not a new one but the zoo hasn't been able to fix it due to shortage of funds.
