Among the largest natural wetlands of India measuring 120 sq KM, a
bird paradise of Gujarat, situated 64 KM from Ahmedabad is the Nal Sarovar sanctuary. It is believed that 75000 years ago the Gulf
of Kutch and Cambay ( also known as Gulf of Khambhat) were connected by a channel. Saurashtra and Kutch were two large
islands and Nal Sarovar was a part of
the creek connecting the two. About 7000 years ago Nal Sarovar once a part of
the old sea got eradicated assuming its current state. Presently, Nal Sarovar has
around 300 islets and the water body connects the districts of Ahmedabad and
Surendranagar.
The water body is an important stopover site within the Central Asia
Flyway and during winter months, November to February, large congregations of
migratory birds like flamingo, pelicans, ducks and shore birds fill Nal Sarovar
with their vibrant colors and calls. Its water comes alive with thousands of
coots, cormorants and cranes. Due to the rich presence of aquatic flora,
estimated at nearly fifty species of algae and about seventy types of flowering
plants, birds from distant lands all over the world flock here in hordes. This unparalleled diversity has earned its
distinction of being a wetland of National importance and important bird area
(IBA).
Nal Sarovar is an unique and its uniqueness lies in the diversity of
habitats it harbors. These includes the marshes, reed beds, shallow and deep
open water habitats, muddy shores and islets. Owing to its large size and
sustainable utilization of wetland and to negate the encroachment and loss of
wetland, the Nal Sarovar sanctuary has been declared as a site under Ramsar
convention, formally known as the convention on wetlands of international
importance. It is named after the city of Ramsar, Iran where the convention was
signed in the year 1971. The treaty recognizes the fundamental ecological,
cultural, scientific and recreational value of such waterfowl habitats. The recognition will assist Nal Sarovar to get
financial, technical and scientific support from WWF International Freshwater
Programme and WWF- India.
It was a early morning drive to Nal Sarovar and as we left the city of Ahmedabad, the
picturesque scene of green paddy fields and in between the tinge of beautiful
mustard fields added to our high spirits. Soaking ourselves to the splendor
around, we reached the main gates of The Nal Sarovar Bird sanctuary. Here we
had to park our cars and were provided with eco cars to shuttle the two
kilometers to the sanctuary. The shuttle service in eco cars is one of the many
initiatives taken to deplete the pollution levels around the sanctuary.
The huge water body welcomed us with boatmen ready with their boats to
take the visitors on a boat ride deep into the Nal Sarovar. After a lot of
bargaining with the boatman, we took our seats on the boat to explore the
sanctuary The water was four to five
deep, water crystal clear and the bottom of the Nal Sarovar looked like a wet
and wild forest, inviting the world lying below to be explored and drew
familiarity to entering a large aquarium. The beds were full of reed beds
swampy areas throbbing with speckled marine life.
There was no requirement of
paddling the boat instead the bamboo was dug deep into the reeds and the boat
moved. It was one of most pleasant boat rides we had taken in recent times and
the morning sunlight bathing us was an added bonus to the comfort of the
surrounds.
As we made our way into the Nal Sarovar, expectations ran high on
getting to sight birds. The anticipations was the same as one has when visiting
a sanctuary of any kind, may be it is a tiger sanctuary or lion sanctuary or a
one horn rhino sanctuary. One hopes against hope that they are the fortunate
ones who will be able to sight the particular animal which the sanctuary is
famed for. With the same feeling and thoughts we had stepped into the boat for
a trip to the Nal Sarovar sanctuary, expecting
a huge flock of flamingo, pelicans, coots, cormorants and cranes in
exciting colors to greets us in the waters. It was not to be as we could not
sight the migratory birds except for a horde of sea gulls.
Soon we reached an islet, a natural halting point for the visitors and
also to give the boatman a well deserved rest. The island was full of eatery shops
of all kinds and the visitors who made it earlier than us crowded around them.
The island except for a dilapidated viewing tower, had no significant
facilities. Hopefully in times the authorities will decide to come up with the basic amenities.
The return journey was a quite one. We coaxed the boatman to row the
boat in areas where we could sight some migratory birds, but in addition to the
sea gulls we could sight a flock of
common coots and a few stray birds around. Disappointment was written over our
faces as we reached the banks of Nal Sarovar. We had to content ourselves on
visiting the museum which housed the history of Nalsovar sanctuary. Lunch
consisted of a delicious local cuisine but it could not lift the spirits of the
group. Seeing our dejection, a local acquaintance suggested to us to visit a
place Vadla in the district of Surendarnagar, where we could sight migratory
birds. It was a last bet and thought it
was worth a try.
We covered a distance of around 25 KMs from Nal
Sarovar following the motor cycle of our local contact through the winding
interior village roads to reach Vadla.
Our associate stopped the motor cycle near a paddy field. As we got down from
our cars and looked over the paddy field. it was a sight to behold. There were
thousands of flamingoes on a water body, much smaller than Nal Sarovar. We
stood near the paddy fields and feasted our eyes to the wonderful sight. The
birds were not disturbed as we were quite far off and there were no boats with
people around to disturb their existence. We spent a good hour watching the
birds fly in and out in flocks and making all sought of formations and noises.
On enquiry from the locals it was gathered that birds like the sweet water of the water body at Valda than the salty water of Nal Sarovar. Further the human disturbance was minimal at Vadla. Was it a making of a new sanctuary at the Vadla - Malika gaam water bodies or is it a temporary habitat for the migratory birds. Only time will tell.
