PESHAWAR, July 27: Illegal hunting and environmental degradation have led to decline in the waterfowl population at Kheshki, a wetland of international importance along river Kabul, officials of the wildlife department told Dawn.

Conservator of the provincial wildlife department, Dr Mumtaz Malik, said migratory birds from Siberia had stopped coming to Kheshki wetland near Nowshera which they used as a resting and feeding place from August to April.

The man-made Kheshki wetland was declared as “wetland of international importance” under the Ramsar (Iran) Convention in 1971.

“The wetland lost its international status some five years back because of decline in the population of waterfowl and environmental degradation,” Dr Malik said.

“This is because of unabated hunting of birds,” Dr Malik said, adding that under the Ramsar Convention places which attracted over 20,000 waterfowl during the migration period had been declared wetlands of international standard.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an inter-government treaty which provides a framework for action on government level and international cooperation for the conservation and prudent use of wetlands and their resources. Pakistan is a signatory to the convention.

Kheshki reservoir, situated at upstream Khairabad, was a big source of irrigation and a refuge for migratory waterfowl. The place used to be a favourite site for hunters from all over the country.

The reservoir has now dried up due to various alterations in the irrigation system and a major portion of the reservoir is being used as grazing land. Some times ago, eucalyptus trees were planted which rendered the place unsuitable for waterfowl.

Hunters and wildlife experts blamed ruthless hunting of migratory birds as well as deterioration in environment for decline in wetlands in the NWFP and other parts of the country.

Under the Wildlife Conservation and Preservation Act of 1975, hunting without permission has been banned in all protected areas of the province, including Kheshki wetland, Tanda Dam near Kohat and Chashma canal near Dera Ismail Khan. But the law is ineffective and illegal hunting is on the rise.

Ghulam Sarwar alias Sarwari, an 85-year old professional hunter in Nowshera Kalan, said illegal hunting, trapping and population explosion had rendered the Kheshki wetland an unsafe place for waterfowl.

“The number of hunters is increasing day by day, while the bird population is on the decline. I appeal to the authorities to rehabilitate the site,” he said.

Senior conservator of World Wildlife Foundation Iqbal Mohammad said wetland situation in Pakistan was not satisfactory. He said hunting, pollution of water resources, environmental degradation and climactic changes were affecting the quality and extent of wetlands.

He said that the WWF had designed a wetlands conservation project for Pakistan and proposals in this respect had been submitted to the World Bank and the Global Environment Facilities (GEF) for approval. Mr Iqbal Mohammad said the project would begin in the next three or four months.

The NWFP Wildlife Department officials said that proposals had been sent to the provincial government for the rehabilitation of Kheshki wetland.

The rehabilitation plan proposed to remove eucalyptus trees, dredging of the reservoir to remove silt and filling it up with water from river Kabul. Dr Malik said after rehabilitation the wetland would be declared waterfowl refuge and only angling and recreation facilities would be allowed in the area.