The world famous bird sanctuary near Bharatpur is likely to lose its world heritage site status unless a pending water project is implemented immediately.
This is because of the delay in the Goverdhan project to provide water to the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, in its meeting last month reviewed the ground situation in the park, which has 380 species of birds, both resident and migratory, and warned India to speed up the project, or else the site may be put on the “danger list” by February 2011, according to officials sources.
Committee members are likely to visit the park in February to review the situation again and prepare a status report, which will then be placed before the 35th meeting of the committee in February 2011.
Owing to a weak monsoon and rampart encroachment in the catchment area of the park, spread over 29 sq km, the muddy lake has been increasingly receiving little water. It received very little water last year. It was felt that if no immediate steps were initiated to arrange sufficient water for the park, migratory birds will stop nesting here.
The state government prepared a plan to source water from nearby rivers for the park and submitted the Goverdhan project to the Centre in 2007.
The Planning Commission approved the project and sanctioned Rs 60 crore.
A three-member team of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee had visited the park in early 2008. Since the park had received good rains during the 2007 monsoon, the team members were satisfied with the situation. They were happier when apprised of the Goverdhan Project, which would solve the water problem of the park forever.
But all didn’t go according to plan. Soon red tape bogged down the project. Though the project was sanctioned in 2008, it took six months to get administrative and financial approval, which was done in January 2009.
The water resources department, which was entrusted to execute the project, took another nine months to prepare the blueprint of the project and invite tenders for it. According to official sources, these tenders were to be opened on October 27. But there were some disputes about the quality of water pipes, which were to be used to carry water to the park. It took two months to solve the issue and fresh tenders were issued on December 3 and will be open on December 23.
According to Dr Rambhuj, an expert with UNESCO’s Word Heritage Committee, the government had assured to arrange for water before the monsoons in 2009. However, the committee has given some more time to the government to implement the project. If there is further delay, then the matter will come up for discussion at the committee’s meeting in February to put the park on the danger list.
Though officials of the water resources department are sure to complete the project in time, as per its new schedule, some experts still have doubts.
“The state government is doing its best to get the water problem in the park solved permanently. So far we have not received any communiqué from UNESCO regarding the park being put on the danger list,” said RN Mehrotra, chief wildlife warden of Rajasthan.