Memo submitted by Shaikh Noor Zaman(Asst Secy) Mrs Debojani Mahanta, Atulananda
Goswami and Rana Zaman, secretary South Sarania Nagarik Unnoyan Samity on
23-08-2008
SubClarion call to save ulubari wetland and Greater Adjutant Stork, an
endangered bird that feeds on the wetland.
Respected sir,
Possibly your good self is aware that the Greater Adjutant Stork is the most
endangered stork of the world as it stands today . The species was almost
slipped to extinction before the global status of the species became known
to the conservationist and scientists . The International Union Of
Conservation Of Nature (IUCN) International Wetland Research Bureau ( IWRB)
Specialist Group on Stork, Ibis and Spoonbill (SIS) , The InternationalCouncil
Of Bird Preservation (ICBP) have declared the Greater Adjutant Stork as first
priority species for conservation . The species is already systematically
disappeared from Northern India ,Nepal , Chittangang hill track of Bangladesh ,
Mayanmar , Combodia ,Southern Vietnam and Thiland . There may be some isolated
small population in those distribution range . Now fortunately few breeding
pairs and small population still survives in Assam particularly in the
Brahmaputra valley . Assam thus remained the last strong hold for the species
in the whole of the world .There were only 136 breeding pairs in 1992-93 in
Assam as reported by Animal Ecology and Wild Life Biology Lab. Dept of Zoology
, Guwahati University in 1994 . Unless immediate protection measure is taken
in Assam , this largest stock species will added in the growing list of extinct
birds of the world .
2.Why Guwahati city : The Guwahati city has largest concentration of the storks
among all places in the state . There are around 150-175 numbers around the
city depending upon the garbage where they are chiefly scavenger .There are
few nesting places around the city . Hazo(Dadara) and Mandakata are places
where nesting were recorded . Arial distances from both the places to the
roosting ground in the city is less than 5 Km .care needs to be taken because
the total population in Assam alone is > 800 with a slightlydeclining trend . (
choudhury et al)
Our organization regularly monitors movement of storks in the city and also
does Countdown of the Stork--- The Stork population in and
around Guwahati had been diminishing alarmingly. The city had a total number of
288 in 2002, 207 Storks in 2003 and the same had gone down to 260 in the
month of February , 2004 . On 30th September ,same year, a total of 233 no
were found in eight places. A count down in the subsequent years on the last
day of September had revealed a dim picture 247 in 2005 and 167 in 2006. It
had further reduced to 118 no in September 2007.
Now , these birds does roosting in and around the Deepor beel garbage dumping
ground which itself is highly objectionable. Garbage’s are used simply as land
fill in this internationally known wetland which is also a Ramser site. Ulubari
wetland is another roosting site for such Storks and a large no of them could
be seen at that place at any point of time. They find out leftover items thrown
to the wetland by the battlers. In the recent past, a few ex-employee families
of Assam State Transport Corporation build up thatch house and occupied half of
the wetland which even after complaint to the District Authority and also to
the Managing Director of ASTC , nothing had happened. Ulubari is an important
tourist place that had many attraction for foreign tourist because of the
location of Iscon temple , Gandhi Mandap , Kasturba Ashram and the GAS, locally
known as hargilla.
Under this backdrop we request you to direct the District administration to
evict the encroachers and also declare the wetland as Reserve wetland under
relevant Act and enforce the Guwahati city water bodies bill enacted very
recently. We hope through your good offices hargillas will get back its shelter
and habitat shall remain intact. Otherwise ASTC may also be requested to
maintained the area as ASTC Conservation park with the help of Civil
Administration or NGOs .
Thanking you.
yours
faithfully
Moloy Baruah
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