JOIN USBird deaths ahead of migratory season trigger alarm in Ch'garh
The mysterious death of a large number of birds, including the cattle egrets, in one of Punjab’s natural bird habitat areas has triggered alarm ahead of the arrival of the migratory Siberian birds in October.
While the authorities swung into action on Sunday afternoon, collecting samples of the dead birds, the cause of death of so many birds is still unclear.
Sources say the birds could have died due to some localised pattern of pesticide contamination in water. The mysterious phenomenon has been continuing for a few days now. Villagers in Punjab’s Pakki Tibbi village in Muktsar district say they have been noticing several big-sized birds lying dead along roadsides, fields and near cattle pounds in villages. The birds have been falling off the trees in bunches for the last few days, they said.
What has caused concern is that the region witnesses the arrival of migratory birds from Siberia in October. Even as the recent incidents of bird deaths could have been triggered by a localised problem, possibly contamination, it is feared that if the problem persists it might have an impact on the survival of the visiting birds as well.
The Muktsar belt is witness to very high incidence of cancer which is largely attributed to pesticide overuse and heavy metals in the groundwater. Range forest officer Jeeta Singh confirmed the bird deaths and said the villagers had reported the unusual phenomenon.
A team of doctors has reached the area to ascertain the cause of death. The report is expected on Monday.
Sources said toxicity in surface and groundwater as a cause of death “cannot be ruled out” given the indiscriminate use of pesticides in this agrarian bread bowl state of the country. They said the egrets feed on seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands and rice paddies and the possibility could be that contamination occurred around their habitat area leading to the deaths.
Villagers have also expressed concern that the possibility of contamination of water or its toxicity, even as it may be a localised phenomenon, may also affect their heath.
Chief Wildlife Warden Punjab Dhirendra Singh has said he will look into the matter on priority.