Birds fight for survival in North Bengal

Gone are the days when the most beautiful of birds would throng North Bengal at the onset of winter. Thanks to the rapid filling up of wetlands and rampant use of pesticides in paddy fields and tea gardens, the number of winged visitors - both domestic and migratory - has declined at an alarming rate.

Consistent decrease in the number of wetlands and rapid usage of pesticides in the paddy fields has sounded an alert for birds in north Bengal. Due to constant exposure to chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the paddy fields and also in the vast tea belt of the region both migratory as well as domestic birds has suffered a sharp decline in their numbers.

Once found in plenty, now it has become almost impossible to spot birds like Mallard, Wigeon, Merganser and Paintails in the region. Ruddy Shell Duck, which migrated all the way from Siberia during the winter months, is also nowhere to be found. Raptor birds like Adjutant Stork, Ospray, Greater Spotted Eagle and Imperial Eagle are also fast disappearing from the region.

Environmentalists cite a decrease in the number of wetlands and over-usage of pesticides and chemical fertilizers as the reasons behind a decline in the number of birds. "After being applied in paddy fields, pesticides get washed during the monsoon and get deposited in the waterbodies. Since these chemicals are highly poisonous they kill the fishes. Water birds hence do not get adequate food to feed on as fishes are their prime food," said ornithologist Animesh Bose of Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF). "It is natural that the number of birds, especially water birds, is decreasing every year in the region," Bose added. The drastic decrease in the number of wetlands in North Bengal is also to blame. "With the filling up of a wetland, the aquatic lives in it get buried. How can you expect birds to survive in such a situation?" he questioned.

According to satellite pictures available, the number of wetlands in Cooch Behar and Malda has been reduced to less than half of what it was in the 1930s. In Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur the number has reduced to less than one-third. If this trend continues, North Bengal will cease to have any natural wetland by 2030, resulting in a radical imbalance in the environment of the entire region, fear environmentalists. Occurrence of floods at regular intervals will also result in arsenic generation and pose a problem for people of Malda.

Dr Subir Sarkar, a professor of North Bengal University's geography department, said the maximum number of wetlands were filled up between 1970 and 1980. This was the time when Bangladesh became a free country and lakhs of refugees from there came to West Bengal. They started living building houses here by filling up wetlands, added Sarkar. In order to prevent further filling up of wetlands, the government should intervene immediately and preserve the remaining wetlands, said Sarkar. "Natural wetlands are the most useful in maintaining ecological balance. But over the years we have seen that these wetlands are being filled for agricultural purpose or for constructing houses. There are strict laws that prevent wetlands from being filled up. These need to be implemented," the professor said.

Source: Times of India 

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