09 February 2004	Monday	17 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 8: The Sindh government has approved a three-year project for the improvement and rehabilitation of the Lungh Lake and Drigh Lake that are located in the Larkana district.

The Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) would implement the Rs10-million project, which begins this year, at the lakes, both of which are declared wildlife sanctuaries and are geographically located at the confluence of the green route, an international migratory route, followed by migratory birds coming from colder central Asian regions to Sindh in winter every year.

These lakes were developed from an old abandoned river course of Indus over a century back around 1880. Historically the rulers of Sindh, the Mirs, and during the British Raj the Viceroys, usually used to hunt the winter visitors at these lakes.

During the period between 1960 and mid 1970s various heads of state, chief executives of the country, diplomats, and senior bureaucrats had been visiting these lakes for recreation and duck shooting.

These lakes received a serious set back between 1977 and 1986 and experienced colossal habitat degradation. The habitat degradation resulted in complete disappearance of the waterfowl which stopped coming here for their annual winter stay.

The construction of an irrigation drain parallel to the Lungh Lake and the construction of a Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) channel near the Drigh Lake reclaimed the surrounding water-logged area and the lakes shrank to small pieces of depressions only.

SWD had declared these lakes wildlife sanctuaries in 1982 and hunting and poaching of waterfowl was banned under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance. In the recent past the SWD developed these lakes under its annual development programmes between 1989 and 1992 and some development works were carried out by adding about 50 acres of privately owned land.

After the development these lakes are offering wintering ground to over 50,000 water-birds of numerous species including marbled teal, shoveller, common teal, mallard, garganey, spoon bill, etc. These lakes are counted among the best inland wetlands for water-birds.

One of the most serious problems of these lakes is their silted beds, due to which their water is drained out every year and after March - April the lakes are completely dried up. At present due to the siltation the average depth of Lungh Lake is reduced to around four feet, whereas the depth of Drigh Lake is minimised to just around six feet.

The SWD plans to carry out desiltation and excavation of the lakes which, after being fully rehabilitated and developed, could also serve as research and monitoring stations for the waterfowl, where researchers, bird watchers students and wildlife lovers could be encouraged by providing some basic amenities and residential facilities.

Rest houses are available at both of these lakes and with slight improvements these could also be used as research / information and education centres. Some time back, a state-owned oil and gas company dug up - from one side to the other - the Drigh Lake from the centre to lay down its pipeline.

Such activities are banned in a wildlife sanctuary and when the wildlife staff tried to stop the excavators, one of the senior wildlife officials was kept in a room, "for his safety", by the law enforcement agency personnel that were called by the oil and gas company, as it knew that it was carrying out an illegal work which might be challenged by the wildlife staff.

After the matter was reported in the media, the oil company formally asked for the permission and also agreed to carry out a scientific study at the lake that is yet to start, though the pipeline laying work has been completed since long.