Najafgarh Lake

Najafgarh Lake

Subject – Environment

Context – Delhi: Fewer bird numbers, species at Najafgarh lake this year, census finds

Concept –

• The Najafgarh jheel, a transboundary wetland lying in Delhi and Haryana, has recorded fewer species of water birds this year as compared to the last, the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) conducted at the jheel has found.
• The AWC is an annual count of waterbirds that takes place in January, and is coordinated by the Wetlands International South Asia and the Bombay Natural History Society. It is conducted in seven wetlands across Delhi-NCR.
• The Najafgarhjheel is an important site for large numbers of winter migratory birds, the census affirmed.
• Among the winter migratory waterbird species recorded were the greylag goose and the bar-headed goose, which migrate from central Asia, and the Eurasian coot, which migrates from north Asia.
• The greater spotted eagle, a migratory bird that flies in from Siberia or Russia, and is listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of threatened species was found at the jheel, along with the northern lapwing, another winter migratory species.
• A few resident species at the jheel include the sarus crane, which was also marked as vulnerable by the IUCN, the woolly-necked stork, the painted stork and the oriental darter.

About the lake–

• Najafgarh Lake, Najafgarh Marsh or Najafgarh Jheel (Jheel in Hindi means a lake), fed by Sahibi River, used to be a vast lake in the south west of Delhi in India near the town of Najafgarh from which it takes its name.
• It was connected to the river Yamuna by a natural shallow nullah or drain called the Najafgarh nullah.