It is surprising how little we know about the wetlands that persist and exist in defiance of all the developmental activities that take place in the city of Gurgaon close to the National Capital, New Delhi. Even more amazing is the regularity with which migratory birds keep visiting these hidden locations, though of course how long they’ll stay hidden is a pertinent question!
Just a couple of weeks back, when I visited the Sultanpur National Park on the outskirts of Gurgaon, I was disappointed to see the gates shut, apparently because the Governor was planning to visit it later in the day. Not willing to spoil my day, I decided to scout for the famed Sultanpur Flats. After asking for directions from numerous people, I ended up in a paradise for bird lovers, a whole area flooded with water, with a narrow road running in between a mass of water. A shopkeeper had told me, while asking for directions that one of the canals feeding the water treatment plant in Chandu-Budhera had a breach in its banks letting all the water flow into the area.
I was pleasantly surprised to spot a large number of Bar-headed Geese, Sarus Cranes and even Open-Billed Storks. These birds were in larger numbers than those found at the Sultanpur National Park! It is amazing how better populated these uncharted wetlands are, compared to designated National Parks which have deteriorated into picnic spots that are a magnet to noisy visitors littering the area with wrappers and wasted food.
It is indeed high time that civic authorities took out time from their ‘busy schedules’ to identify and designate such treasures as Ramsar Sites Wetlands or Biodiversity hotspots. Gurgaon, unfortunately, has lost most of its wetlands to developmental practices.
rodrick's space 