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Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary ''(proposed)'' and wetland ecosystem is composed of the wetland ecosystem and wildlife habitat on several kilometres of the Najafgarh drain or nallah which passes through rural southwest Delhi in India's capital territory. It includes the portion draining the depression or basin area that formed the once famous but now completely drained Najafgarh lake or Najafgarh jheel. Within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) this water-way, which is misclassified and misnamed as a mere drain (''Najafgarh drain or nallah'') is, in fact, the continuation of Sahibi River and an elongation of the Najafgarh jheel Lake. It is a tributary to River Yamuna in which it outfalls here. It becomes a refuge to thousands of migratory waterbirds every winter. The winter months are the best time to visit it to see many flocks of wintering waterbirds. It is currently classified as a Protected Forest and Recorded Forest (Notified Forest Areas in Delhi) as "M. P. Green area Najafgarh Drain (Tagore garden)", "Afforestation M.P.Green Area Najafgarh Drain (DDA)" and "Chhawla or Najafgarh drain city forest (29.64 Acre)".〔(Plantation/Greening of Delhi ), Department of Environment, Government of NCT of Delhi, India website, ()〕〔(Recorded Forests (Notified Forest Areas in Delhi) ), Forest Department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India, ()〕〔(Search for Najafgarh drain on Forest Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, India website )〕〔("Bird sanctuary proposed in Najafgarh" – Protected Area Update, No. 39 October 2002, Kalpavriksh )〕〔(Another city forest opened – Delhi will soon have 32 of them, says Sheila, New Delhi, Jun 29, 2008, The Hindu Newspaper )〕 The wetland ecosystem and wildlife habitat on several kilometres of less polluted Najafgarh drain in rural Delhi before entering the main city, including the former ''Najafgarh lake'' or ''Najafgarh jheel'' area, is very important habitat to migratory waterbirds as well as local wildlife. It has been earmarked to be declared a bird sanctuary for Delhi. The area came to be recognised as an important wildlife habitat after a local naturalist studying the area during 1986 to 1989 called attention to it, recommending it to be conserved as a bird sanctuary. After this, the Delhi wildlife department posted 16 guards in the area to control illegal bird hunters, including diplomats from various international embassies located in Delhi, India's capital. Delhi Administration officials were tasked with declaring about 25 km stretch of the drain in rural Delhi, including where it passes through the core area of the now drained Najafgarh Lake or jheel, protected under the Wildlife Act after Lt. Governor of Delhi Mr. H.L. Kapur was invited to the area for touring the site where he also heard accounts of local villagers about the rampant illegal hunting of waterbirds that went on here every year. The existing staff of the Flood Control and Irrigation Department, numbering about 40, were also given the additional responsibility of protecting the wildlife on and around the drain.〔(bird sanctuary for Delhi soon, By Nirupama Subramanian, Express News Service, City, New Delhi, 7 March 1988, Indian Express Newspaper )〕〔(flock to Capital, By N. Suresh, New Delhi, 7 January 1988, The Times of India )〕〔(by the wetlands, on the wild side, Najafgarh drain, By Vivek Menon, 9 March 1991, Weekend, New Delhi, Indian Express Newspaper (Vivek Menon formerly with WWF-India now with Wildlife Trust of India) )〕 The Najafgarh drain has been much widened over the years to drain all the water which in earlier decades used to collect in the Nagafgarh lake or Jheel basin. This was supposedly done to remove the threat of flooding in Delhi,〔(Flood Problem due to Sahibi River, Department of Irrigation and Flood Control, Government of NCT of Delhi, India. )〕〔(Urban Flooding and its Management ), ()〕 and now the drain itself acts as an elongated water body or lake. It has trees planted on both its embankments and an inspection road running on one embankment. During the winter months it attracts vast quantities of migratory birds, and supports local wildlife year-round. Due to the rich wildlife observed in and around the less polluted stretch of the drain outside of congested populated areas, it has been proposed as a bird sanctuary for Delhi.〔(DTTDC to develop bird sanctuary near Najafgarh ), 12 January 2003, The Indian Express〕〔(Migratory birds are giving Delhi the go-by ), 17 January 2010, The Hindu〕〔(Najafgarh jheel may chirp again ), 20 August 2006, The Indian Express〕 The Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation has proposed the development of a bird sanctuary on the Najafgarh Drain. The sanctuary would cover an area of several kilometres along the Najafgarh drain and has advised to plant a large number of trees〔(Capital to get nine new city forests ), New Delhi, 26 Jun 2008, The Hindu (Green drive launched ), 29 June 2008, Tribune, Chandigarh, India〕 on both its embankments to form a thick forest belt. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)〔(INTACH )〕 had been appointed as a consultant for the project.〔(Important Bird Areas in India – Delhi )〕 INTACH has been doing macro water harvesting since 1995 and has helped in creating a bird sanctuary on an 11-km stretch of water body that formed the Najafgarh Nallah (Drain). The 51 km-long Najafgarh drain starts at Dhansa and joins the Yamuna river near Wazirabad. 30 kilometres of the drain is in rural Delhi. With the help of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi Government, the drain was de-silted to increase its storage capacity. Regulators at Kakraula and Dhansa retain the water. Presently the brackish water is improving with dilution. By retaining the water in the drain, the aquifers and groundwater table have been recharged and there is more water now for irrigation, enabling farmers 6 kilometres away from the drain to grow crops. Tube wells in the area have been discharging water copiously and in two years the water table is up by a meter.〔(Don't cloud the issue – USHA RAI looks at some success stories in rainwater harvesting that should convince those of us who are still sceptical. ), 22 Dec 2002, The Hindu〕〔(Proposal for Ground Water Recharge in National Capital Region (NCR) Dr S.K. Sharma Ground Water Expert ), ()〕〔(Groundwater to be recharged at Najafgarh, Mungeshwar drains ), 10 March 2007, The Indian Express〕 A July 2003 report by the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests of India pointed out: ==Poachers, bird-watchers and bird-counts== Due to a large influx of various species of migratory waterfowl and waterbirds every winter, the drain has been a popular location for decades for illegal poachers, including diplomats from various embassies of different countries in Delhi who come to shoot birds annually with shotguns in their foreign cars with blue diplomatic number plates. Bird watchers also visit the area now and conduct annual bird-counts.〔()〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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