The Sanjay Lake in east Delhi has become polluted over the years and the number of birds sighted there has fallen to 132 from 771 in 2016, according to a census carried out by Wetlands International, a global non-profit organisation.
The species diversity of birds in the same period has come down to 13 from 28. The census was part of WI’s Asian Waterbird Census (AWC), which is being carried out across Asia and Australia, said the organisation.
Compared with last year, the number of bird species has fallen but the bird population has increased from 90 to 132. “This rise in the number of birds is due to an increase in the number of fish in the lake. But the water quality has been degrading over the years,” said T.K. Roy, AWC Delhi State coordinator.
He said about 20 years ago, the lake used to be a good natural wetland habitat for thousands of water birds, including long-distant winter migratory birds.
“Later it was converted into an artificial and concretised shallow lake for entertainment activities, so it lost its natural habitat and aquatic biodiversity,” WI said in a statement.
