Migratory birds no more wing their way to Nil Sagor

The scenic beauty attracts visitors but they are frustrated not seeing flocks of migratory birds. The photo of Nil Sagor was taken on Saturday. PHOTO: STAR

Chirping of thousands of migratory birds on nearby threes, big flocks in the sky and their frisky movement on the water attracted people even a few years back.

Age-old indigenous trees are gone. Concrete structures and roads have been built to turn it into a tourist spot. Rumbling of vehicles often break the silence.

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People come to see the Nilsagar. But birds from cold Siberia and Europe no more come here to enjoy the warm climate.

This has happened because the planners ignored warnings by ornithologists, it was gathered.

Nil Sgaor is at Dhobadanga village in the Sadar upazila, 16 kms north west of the district town.

Octogenarian Mokbul Hossen of Dhobadanga village could not say when the big water body was dug. But he asserted that thousands of guest birds of 8 to 10 spices used to come to Binna Dighi (previous name of Nil Sagor) even a few years back.

The dighi (big water body) was sacred to both Hindus and Muslims as there is a Hindu temple in the eastern side and a Mazar (saint's grave) in the western side.

"There were numerous banyan, black berry, kadams, mango, jack fruit, dumur and other varieties of trees, all over hundred year old", said Mokbul.

"Migratory birds ate fruits of those trees and took shelter on them at night. "Now there is no big indigenous tree, and also no bird", Mokbul lamented while talking to this correspondent on Saturday.

The birds used to start coming in early November and stayed till March-April. Their movement thrilled visitors from home and abroad, local people said.

Being fascinated by it's beauty and good road links, the then minister Maidul Islam in President Ziaur Rahman's cabinet in 1978 ordered development of the area into a tourist spot.

As per the order, the then Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) of Nilphamari Abdul Jabbar Khan took steps to improve the infrastructure. The 33 acres water body with 20.90 acres of land surrounding it was renamed Nil Sagor after Nilphamari district.

On December 1999, the then state minister for land Rashed Mosharef visited the area. After his visit a project was undertaken to develop Nil Sagor' into a bird sanctuary and Tk 80.05 lakh was granted for this purpose.

"Then the environmental disaster began", said Asraf Ali an educated man at Dhobadanga village. In the name of making metalled road around Nil Sagor, century old indigenous trees were felled without considering the ecological balance. A rest house was built.

In a most unwise way, the authority planted saplings of foreign-origin trees like 'Shishu' and other varieties. These trees neither grow with big and bushy branches to provide shelter nor help to provide bird feed. Sources said ornithologists had warned that birds prefer fruit bearing local variety trees like banyan, jack fruit, black berry, kadam, dumur and others. They had also warned that migratory birds even do not sit or rest on trees not familiar to them. But the warning was unheeded.

As a result flow of birds declined.

Visiting the Nil Sagor on Friday, this correspondent found hardly 500 birds. Most of the trees were 3-4 years old.

The old big trees were felled despite newspaper reports that such large scale felling would damage the bird sanctuary and the ecology.

A gardener cum night guard of the rest house seeking anonymity said guest birds do not take shelter on the new trees at night. Some birds fly into the Nil Sagar in the morning, probably from trees in neighbouring villages, he said.

On June 6, this year, State Minister for Education and Minister-in- Charge of Nilphamari district ANM Ehsanul Haq Milon visited Nil Sagor'. He expressed his dissatisfaction at the present condition and asked the district administration to plant fruit bearing local trees.

As per his directive the district administration planted many fruit bearing trees about four months back.

Rafiqual Islam, who was chairman of Gorgram union during 2001- 2002 when the trees were felled however claimed that only dead trees were removed.

A recent survey also revealed that use of insecticide in croplands around reduced insects, earlier eaten by birds. This may be another cause for the decline in their number.

Legend says, a famous and pious king named Virat dug the lake and named it Binna Dighi after his daughter. But no body can say when it was dug.