Beautification move that overlooked biodiversity

By Janu Pande,Kapilvastu, Mar. 20: Until a few years ago, a large flock of winter migratory birds used to arrive in Jagdishpur Lake of Kapilvastu. 

The area around the lake looked cheerful with the birds coming to spend the winter and the tourists to watch them. 

But the number of the winter visitors has sharply fallen in recent years thanks to the construction of concrete structures around the lake by the government.

After the three-level governments began erecting concrete structures in the wetlands in the name of tourism development, the habitats of water-dependent animals and birds have been disturbed.

The practice of beautifying the wetlands by building concrete structures is on the rise in the country. The famous lake in Kapilvastu is no exception. 

Ignoring the ecosystem of the wetland, activities like introducing boating in the lake, building a temple and developing a picnic spot near the lake are going on. 

“Building concrete structures in the areas listed in the Ramsar area is not environment-friendly. 

While beautifying the lake, emphasis should also be given on conservation,” said ornithologist Krishna Prasad Bhusal. Before Jagdishpur turned into a reserve, a footpath was constructed by placing tiles on the lake's surface.  But now it has been concretised and two concrete towers stand in two separate places. 

A hotel has also been brought into operation in the eastern part. Boats were operating in the lake until last year. 

After increasing human activities in the lake, the number of birds has been continuously declining.

In 2019, a total of 14,980 birds were counted in the reserve and 20,800 in 2020. But the number decreased to 12,063 in 2021 and 11,018 in 2022.  

This year,  11,222 birds were counted, said Dilip Chand, field biologist at the Bird Conservation Association (BCN).

Similarly, thousands of migratory birds used to arrive in Danapur Lake in Rupandehi. 

After concrete structures were erected around the lake and a picnic spot was developed, only the activities of Great cormorants and kingfishers could be noticed in the area.

Similarly, the federal government has started constructing structures at the Buddhital in Buddhabhumi Municipality Ward No. 4 in Kapilvastu with a plan to attract tourists to the area. Such activities have  already led to the decrease in the bird population.

 Meanwhile, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared for Ajigara Lake in Krishnanagar Municipality and Shankarpur Lake in Bijayanagar Rural Municipality. 

It was said that the DPR was prepared without consulting the environmental experts and there is a high possibility of concretisation in the surrounding area, experts said.