13th Birding Fair at Jaipur's Man Sagar on 2 – 3 Feb 2010 to be devoted to 'Rivers’ Restoration'
The 13th annual Birding Fair will take place on 2 and 3 February 2010 in a continuing effort to conserve Jaipur's Man Sagar in India and try to develop it as a Mini Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) . The Birding Fair held at this historic lake will explore biodiversity for peoples' welfare,
It will be devoted to 'Rivers’ Restoration' to enable decision makers realize how important the role of rivers has been in human civilization, especially as these waters ways become increasingly polluted and most cities face shortage of potable water.
Two British experts will lead the 13th Fair on 2 Feb : Mr. Robert Oates, Director of The Thames River Restoration Trust, and Mr. Jim Lyons, Technical Specialist for Fish Science at UK's The Environment Agency.Mr. Robert visited this lake some years ago. This time he will judge if Man Sagar has made progress towards its restoration.
Both experts had a meeting with the organiser of the Fair during August 09 in Britain to discuss how the Jaipur event can be linked with lake and river conservation initiatives overseas.
Mr. Oates heads the Thames River restoration (www.trrt.org) work and will share his experiences at a lecture in Jaipur on 2 Feb. Mr. Lyons will check the fish species at this lake and suggest how to manage their population, improve water quality and increase the bird population as well.
Two bird watchers from Britain will also join them on this visit :
Mr. Stephen Dean and Mr. John Wilson. All four will visit the Desert to observe, in particular, Great Indian Bustard and possibly tour East India to experience some of the perennial wetland habitats flushed with aquatic vegetation supporting rare Himalayan birds.
The Birding Fair is a citizen' initiative. It was started in 1997 through cooperation of the British Bird Watching Fair which is held annually (August) at Anglian Water in Rutland (Oakham, Leics), www.birdfair.org.uk. Dr. Tim Appleton and Mr. Martin Davies, the two main organisers of the British Fair, are appreciative of the Jaipur event.
The Fair is supported by : WWF - India, Bombay Natural History Society, INTACH, Schools, Teachers, government departments like Tourism, Forest, Jaipur Development Authority, banks etc. Mrs. Rajkumari Jones, working on Red Squirrel Conservation in Wales, UK, has sponsored it this year.
The Jal Mahal Resorts Pvt Ltd (JMRPL) has been actively associated with the Fair for some years . It has as a major stake at this lake owing to its commitment to develop a tourism related multi-faceted facility, over vacant land, south of the water body. This company, led by Mr. N.R. Kothari, a renowned jeweller of Jaipur, has initiated a series of measures to control the flow of sewerage from the city into this lake and improve its water quality.
Introduction of aquatic vegetation in the lake, removing plastic waste, bypassing the main drain and treatment of polluted storm water are some of the man initiatives being made by this company. Could this be a new trend to favour conservation in India that is how a jeweller got serious about cleaning a lake.
The results of such measures are clear. Water quality of Man Sagar has improved and the foul odour, which deterred visitors from standing by the main road until a few years ago, has totally disappeared. Improvements will be seen shortly as the results of the constructed-wetlands start flowing. Such Wetlands have been created at several places to enable sewage water flow through vegetation and get treated. It is the eco system based lake restoration being attempted here, probably the first such example in India, that is yielding positive results.
More birds have started arriving again at Man Sagar. More than 180 species of birds have been registered in and around this lake throughout the year. The number looks high as the forest habitat near by supports many birds. A happy augury is that the migratory birds have found this water body, again. They use it as their winter home : with shovelers, and pintails in good numbers and common teal often outnumber other migratory ducks. Waders are numerous at the water edges. Divers are reported back along with pochards and grebes . Flamingos are becoming annual visitors and Painted Storks and Spoonbills, which were rare , have started to return.
Three earth islands are being planted up with appropriate acaia trees, wild grass and shrubs to assume the shape of 'mound plantations' as exist at Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur). They are poised to become breeding-centres (heronries) for resident bird species; when this happens the lake will attain its long cherished objective.
The fish management is underway and an appropriate balance has to be struck at this lake. Once this challenging task is completed, more fish eating birds will make this place as their breeding ground. The number of breeding birds is on rise which is a positive sign.
Despite JMRPL's thrust made at this lake (it has so far spent about Rs 15 crores which is about 2 million Great Britain Pounds), lot more needs to be done at this scenic water body by the Government of Rajasthan, which has its headquarters located a few kilometers away from the lake. The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (RTDC) is the main agency monitoring certain aspects of this lake while Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is in charge of the land development, which includes areas around the lake.
The Department of Forest is in charge of the well wooded hills which constitute a water shed of the lake. The department of Water Resources & Planning has a limited say in water management in face of JDA's over all control. The Department of Fisheries is yet to step in to remove (invasive species) and reintroduce fish as a definite plan.
The sewage treatment plant is with a different agency. The Department of Tourism (DoT) takes care of promotional aspects of tourism here. The Ministry of Environment & Forest, based in New Delhi, has its indirect say at this water body, having disbursed huge amount to JDA for restoring this lake.
Who will finally bell the cat? The lake is the northern welcome-window for tourists who do not wish to miss Jaipur, the pink city, from their agenda. Man Sagar is going to add a new feather in city's cap. Through the Birding Fair too, annual event has become a catalyst of sorts for lake-restoration.
Preparations have commenced for the 13th Fair (2-3 Feb 2010). It is expected to draw substantial interest especially with the Thames River becoming involved with Man Sagar restoration. Sponsors, collaborators, well wishers are welcome to carve out their own niche. Conservation is a pleasure used to improve quality of life.
You are welcome to contact :
www.birdfair.org
Phone: +91 141 2621472 or 2624444
Fax: +91 141 2621129
Email : birdfair@birdfair.org & birdfair1@hotmail.com