Post by account_disabled on Mar 10, 2024 4:35:05 GMT -5
The government's efforts to address flooding in the city of Srinagar have caused severe damage to the Hokera wetland in Kashmir, due to persistent non-compliance with environmental protection measures set as pre-conditions for the project. The excavation of canals intended to drain excess rainwater has dried up a large part of the , hectare wetland. Meanwhile, wildlife officials reported that about % of the excavated material is still in the wetland.
Site of international ecological importance
The Hokera Wetland , known locally as Hokersar, has been designated by Ramsar as a Wetland of International Importance. "Hokersar is important for resident and migratory waterfowl," said Asad Rahmani, former director of the Bombay Natural History Society. “Up to species have been reported in and around the wetlands during bird banding studies. The lake is par Phone Number List ticularly important as a wintering area for migratory ducks and geese, and as a breeding area for herons, egrets and rails.”
Waterbird surveys conducted in recent years, he said, have yielded counts of around half a million birds wintering in Hokersar. But this year there has been a massive decline. “My local sources told me there is a tremendous decline in the number of birds,” he said.
The wetland, located kilometers west of Srinagar city center and fed by the perennial Doodhganga River, is home to populations of waterfowl that migrate from breeding grounds across Siberia, Central Asia and China to spend the winter. Key species include the ferruginous duck ( Aythya nyroca ), assessed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Inundaciones en el humedal de Hokera en Cachemira
Preconditions for excavation work are ignored
Two years after the devastating floods that hit Kashmir in September , the government of Jammu and Kashmir approved a flood management program to protect Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir.
The first phase of the two-stage plan included, among other flood management measures, dredging a channel to vent floodwater through the Hokersar wetland to allow excess rainwater to drain away.
Citing recommendations from the National Wildlife Board of India, a number of conditions were laid down in the government order for the execution of the work, including requirements to maintain water quality in the wetland by installing a plant of effluent treatment and thus dispose of the excavated material out of the wetland "by mechanical means or otherwise in the full quantity", and establish a "sufficient number of gates" to ensure "- feet of water level in the wetland throughout the year".
These conditions have not been met by the executing agency, Reach Dredging Ltd, which was awarded the contract by the Kashmir Irrigation and Flood Control (IFC) department. Between July , and December , , letters were sent to the IFC department from the office of Director of Wildlife Kashmir, Wildlife Protection Department, Jammu and Kashmir, with requests for that these conditions are met. No response was received.
Site of international ecological importance
The Hokera Wetland , known locally as Hokersar, has been designated by Ramsar as a Wetland of International Importance. "Hokersar is important for resident and migratory waterfowl," said Asad Rahmani, former director of the Bombay Natural History Society. “Up to species have been reported in and around the wetlands during bird banding studies. The lake is par Phone Number List ticularly important as a wintering area for migratory ducks and geese, and as a breeding area for herons, egrets and rails.”
Waterbird surveys conducted in recent years, he said, have yielded counts of around half a million birds wintering in Hokersar. But this year there has been a massive decline. “My local sources told me there is a tremendous decline in the number of birds,” he said.
The wetland, located kilometers west of Srinagar city center and fed by the perennial Doodhganga River, is home to populations of waterfowl that migrate from breeding grounds across Siberia, Central Asia and China to spend the winter. Key species include the ferruginous duck ( Aythya nyroca ), assessed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Inundaciones en el humedal de Hokera en Cachemira
Preconditions for excavation work are ignored
Two years after the devastating floods that hit Kashmir in September , the government of Jammu and Kashmir approved a flood management program to protect Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir.
The first phase of the two-stage plan included, among other flood management measures, dredging a channel to vent floodwater through the Hokersar wetland to allow excess rainwater to drain away.
Citing recommendations from the National Wildlife Board of India, a number of conditions were laid down in the government order for the execution of the work, including requirements to maintain water quality in the wetland by installing a plant of effluent treatment and thus dispose of the excavated material out of the wetland "by mechanical means or otherwise in the full quantity", and establish a "sufficient number of gates" to ensure "- feet of water level in the wetland throughout the year".
These conditions have not been met by the executing agency, Reach Dredging Ltd, which was awarded the contract by the Kashmir Irrigation and Flood Control (IFC) department. Between July , and December , , letters were sent to the IFC department from the office of Director of Wildlife Kashmir, Wildlife Protection Department, Jammu and Kashmir, with requests for that these conditions are met. No response was received.