Revival of ponds might bring back rare bird species

The Punjab government recently unveiled its ambitious project to clean 15,000 ponds (chappars) in 13,500 villages of the state.

Earmarking a sum of Rs 4,573 crore for the work, the focus seems to be on reviving and replenishing ponds that make as traditional essential ecosystem of village life.

Acknowledging the same, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had, in 2023, asserted that the village ponds are the “epicentre of rural life” and maintain the balance in a fragile ecosystem. The Bench had issued guidelines for preservation of a pond dug on land donated by an NRI in his village.

While the state government has come to realise the importance of replenishing ponds, according city-based ornithology enthusiast and wildlife photographer Amit Sharma, these also form an important habitat for rare avian species.

“The village ponds become home to several summer migratory avian species, who travel across India and even from foreign lands to end up in this part of the world,” said Amit. “Harike wetland is a major habitat, but beyond that the village ponds are a sustainable habitat for summer migratory birds, who are not confined to a sanctuary area,” added Amit.

He, along with several bird enthusiasts in the region, has been documenting avian migration and habitat in and around Amritsar to ensure conservation of their habitat.

“When ponds are encroached or dry up or are not cleaned, the birds change habitat. The slightest of change in physiology of their habitat forces the birds to move beyond,” he added.

He shares example of Red Crested Porchard and Eurasian Wigeon, who were sighted recently in near ponds in rural Amritsar. “A water treatment plant set up last year at the UBD canal system increased the depth of the barrage due to desilting. The slight change must have brought the otherwise rarely sighted Red Created Porchard to the canal system and later it set up habitat at the local pond. Similarly, Eurasian Wigeon has never been sighted in Amritsar before this. There are other species like Lesser Whistling Ducks and Jack Snipe, which reported very first sightings in Amritsar along the canal system in the Vallah area,” Amit said.

Amit has documented bird sightings through photographs and also uploaded the sightings at the Cornell University’s web portal created for citizen-scientists world over for avian sightings and habitat information.

He asserts that if efforts are made, cleaning up of village ponds will invite more avian species to Amritsar and help creating a sustainable ecosystem for them. Currently, Harike wetland offers a largest sanctuary to migratory avian species in the region.

According to the Harike Census 2023, conducted by the Punjab Forests Wildlife Department and WWF-Punjab, the bird population has fluctuated over the years. A total of 65,624 birds were counted in 2023—the lowest number in recent years. However, the 2025 count is expected to range between 70,000 and 80,000.