HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, Feb 19: The historic Pahugarh, the 17th century aqua park excavated by Ahom King Rudra Singha as part of the Rangpur Capital complex, which invites thousands of migratory aquatic birds in the winter season is desperately crying for biparental care now from the government and nature lovers as the present scenario inside the important waterbody depicts.
The broken sluice gate, this correspondent saw on a recent visit to the spot, to control the flow of water from the inside tanks to the outer stream in the middle of the western bank, shows the apathy of the Forest Department and its lack of concern for the rare species of migratory fowls that gather in incredible numbers in the pools for rest and regaining vital energy they lose on the way from distant shores.
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The sluice gate might have been destroyed by unscrupulous fishermen to drain out the water so that fishing can be easier in the pools inside. The water level in all the pools inside is receding fast as the water is flowing out and the huge bird population will be left with no choice but to migrate to another waterbody with the necessary fish quantity. It is an urgent necessity to increase the water-bearing capacity of the Pahugarh ponds to increase the small fish population that the migratory birds feed upon. The nature conservation societies here are busy with planting trees on Environment Day alone, it appears. They need to seriously consider conserving the ecological heritage of Sivasagar if the place is to earn a place among the top tourist destinations of the country. Today’s tourists do not tour around architectural monuments alone, but seek a more serene atmosphere around lakes, trees, forests, ponds, birds and animals in the wilderness.
The regular winged visitors to this important water body are the graylag geese, bar-headed geese, glossy ibis, pelicans, pochards, moorhens, various types of egrets, jacanas, adjutant storks, etc.
Though the Sivasagar district administration, through an order under Section 144 CrPC of 1973, prohibits illegal fishing, hunting, littering of garbage and playing loud music inside Pahugarh, it all goes on clandestinely as there is no security arrangement around.
The rampant denudation of the green topsoil of the nearby Jerenga Pathar by earth-cutting excavators and dumpers of unscrupulous contractors has already made the surroundings of Pahugarh less attractive for the aquatic birds which feed on the green shoots, herbs, molluscs and grass in the nearby fields.
