Why this decline ?
Chandigarh hosts a large number of latitudinal migrants in the winter from Siberia. Some of the common species are Graylag Goose, Bar-headed Goose, Northern Shoveller, common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Black-tailed Godwit Ruddy Shell Ducks etc. Sadly, count of these birds decreasing. Migratory birds can be divided in two categories- Ducks and Waders (shorebirds). A majority of migratory birds prefer to stay around shallow water bodies for easy availability of food. Though this time we included waterbodies situated in Mohali assuming that birds can be shifted from Sukhna Lake to these bodies, the findings were not encouraging. Number of waders is decreasing largely.

Increasing human footprints, disturbance, especially around the specific habitats for the migratory birds like regulatory ends of Sukhna Lake, along with increasing water level of water bodies are among major reasons for this trend.

When Sukhna lake was created?
This 3 km² rainfed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills. Originally the seasonal flow entered the lake directly causing heavy siltation. The lake was created by Le Corbusier and the Chief Engineer P L Verma. To preserve its tranquillity, Corbusier insisted on two things: that it be forbidden for motor boats to circulate in the water, and for vehicular traffic to be prohibited on top of the dam (promenade). Earlier it was known as Chakraborty Lake after Birendra Narayan Chakraborty, Governor of Haryana - 1967 to 1976. The lake is home to several species of migratory birds. The Administration has constructed a bird watching centre at one end of the lake.

In 2005, the lake had 33 species of fish, which fell to 19 after a large part of the lake dried up in 2012. After the culling of ducks following the 2014 avian flu scare, the Administration decided to no longer allow ducks at the lake.

Where ‘living entity’ status will help in conservation?

• The Punjab and Haryana high court  declared Sukhna Lake a “living entity” or “legal person” with rights, duties and liabilities of a living person. It also declared all citizens of Chandigarh as loco parentis (in the place of a parent) to save the lake from extinction.
• The order was passed by the high court (HC) bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and HS Sidhu in a 2009 suo motu petition initiated amid depleting water level in the lake.
• The court observed that Sukhna Lake is required to be declared as a legal entity for its survival, preservation and conservation. The Chandigarh administration has been directed to declare it a wetland within a period of three months.
• The HC also ordered that all structures in Sukhna’s catchment area (which was demarcated by the Survey of India in 2004) should be demolished, and affected owners whose building plans have been approved should be relocated in the vicinity of Chandigarh and they should be compensated with ₹25 lakh each.
• The court also directed Chandigarh to ensure that the average capacity of the lake is increased by at least about 100-150 hectare by one-time large scale desilting. Both the states and UT have also been told to lower the storage capacity of the check dams to ensure regular flow of water into the lake. Chandigarh will have to ensure that there is no seepage losses. They have also directed that no wastewater/sewage flows into the water body. The aquatic weeds are ordered to be removed within a period of six months.

Who conducted this bird count?
The Chandigarh Bird Club (CBC) which conducts the bird count has found a consistent decrease in the total number of migratory bird species coming to the city. Starting from the year 2018 November census, the total types of migratory bird species that migrated to the city was 98 which fell down consistently to 91 in 2017, 86 in 2019, and only 77 species in November 2020.
There are two aspects of this trend.

• First: We have been failing to provide adequate atmosphere to migratory birds every year.
• Second: The population of birds is falling everywhere including the native countries of these species.

 The water bodies in our area, including Sukhna Lake, Mote Majra, Siswan Dam, host Siberian migratory birds. The change in the pattern of cropping around the breeding grounds of these birds is also one of the reasons why numbers are declining here. Birds prefer to shift from one place to another in the search of food. If food is available to them near their breeding grounds, they do not prefer to cover huge distance.