Press on Environment and Wildlife

Birds take flight as realty boom jolts Okhla sanctuary (September Week #1 (2013))

Okhla Bird Sanctuary is in danger . At least 10 realty projects within a kilometre radius of its Noida boundary might just sound its death knell. High rises , flyovers , malls and heavy traffic on roads on both sides of the ailing sanctuary have not just
driven away the winged visitors , but also destroyed the microhabitat that could have been an excellent groundwater recharge system as well as the city's lung .

The projects have come up on the potential eco-sensitive zone (ESZ ) of the sanctuary without environmental clearance or the wildlife board's permission , exposing the collusion between realty giants and the government . When TOI visited the sanctuary
, it found a strip of small trees on the Noida side, which could hardly protect the fragile habitat of the sanctuary from the pollution caused by the projects that have encroached upon the eco-sensitive zone occupying 10km radius , as defined by the Supreme
Court . The Delhi side is absolutely bare . The boundary wall towards the Jamia Nagar side in Delhi has been broken up in places to dump waste . Uttar Pradesh is one of the many states that have not notified the ESZ around its national parks and sanctuaries
, leading to degradation of the Okhla sanctuary's rich wetland ecosystem . Data with the Noida Authority shows there are 53 projects in various stages of construction within the ESZ .