Kolkata: Bird conservationists and enthusiasts have raised the alarm over an unseasonal drive to clean Paddapukur, a lotus pond within the Rabindra Sarobar grounds, saying it will destroy the nesting sites of Bronze-winged Jacanas and White-breasted Waterhens. The monsoon is the breeding season for both species.Birder Nandita Sarkar, who photographed Bronze-winged Jacana hatchlings and juvenile White-breasted Waterhens earlier this week, alerted other members of the birding community when she spotted workers removing lotus plants and water hyacinths from the waterbody.“The overenthusiasm to clear the plants from the waterbody will destroy the breeding ground,” she said.Bird Watchers’ Society secretary Sujan Chatterjee said the monsoon was a breeding season and the clean-up should have been carried out in winter, as is usually done. “Cleaning up aquatic plants doesn’t make sense now because they will regenerate. Rain causes them to propagate. This is a waste of time and money,” he said.Birder Kanad Baidya urged the administration to reconsider the clean-up decision and appealed to urban development minister Agnimitra Paul to save the nesting grounds for now. The clean-up drive comes days after Paul visited Rabindra Sarobar.Sudip Ghosh, one of the earliest birders at Rabindra Sarobar, pointed out that it is not just a lake but a living ecosystem. Every year, more than 100 species of birds are recorded at Rabindra Sarobar.“This is the time when our winter migrants begin arriving. Species such as the Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin and Large-billed Leaf Warbler are already being sighted. At the same time, summer migrants such as the Indian Pitta are still here, preparing to return to their breeding grounds. This is also an important breeding season for many of our resident waterbirds. White-breasted Waterhens, Common Moorhens and Bronze-winged Jacanas breed within the Sarobar, particularly around areas such as Paddapukur. At this time of year, we can see their extremely vulnerable young chicks moving among the lotus leaves. So, when a cleaning drive is taken up, one needs to remember that the 191 acres of Rabindra Sarobar do not belong to humans alone. They are shared with birds, fish, aquatic plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles and countless other living organisms that form a complex ecosystem,” he said.Citing the example of the lake’s water, he reasoned that while it does not necessarily have to be drinkable, it needs to be healthy for fish, aquatic plants and animals. “Yes, the Sarobar should be clean. It should be free from plastic, garbage and waste generated by us. But cleaning the lake must not come at the cost of destroying the very habitat that makes Rabindra Sarobar alive. We need undergrowth and natural vegetation for ground-dwelling birds,” he added.
