The clear blue skies over the semi-arid landscape of Naliya, Kutch are increasingly getting zig-zagged with power lines. Windmills make an appearance at short distances, and while they sure are an indication of ‘development’, they are nothing short of death traps for the critically endangered species of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB). It is estimated that only 150 such birds exist on the face of the earth today, of which barely 10 remain in Kutch, one of its last few abodes. His worst fear had come true, said Devesh Gadhavi, member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), when in July last year, a GIB collided against a high-tension overhead power line in Kutch and died. “It was one of the two GIB chicks that Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had radio-tagged to keep track of their movement. The one that died was an active female, which collided against a power line whose power station was in between the GIBs’ wintering and breeding ground,” he said. Gadhavi is also the deputy director of the Kutch Ecological Research Centre, a division of The Corbett Foundation.

The last abode

The global population of the GIB plummeted from 1,300 in the 1970s to a mere 300 between 2011-12. “Now it’s just about 150. Rajasthan and Abdasa (Kutch, Gujarat) are the last remaining abodes of the GIB,” Gadhavi said. Official estimates put the number of GIBs in Kutch at 25; however experts believe the number to be barely 10. The loss of even a single GIB is therefore devastating for the already fragile avian species.

Of course, power lines alone cannot be blamed for the fast depleting numbers of the GIB. Loss of grassland — the habitat of the GIB — is another primary cause. There is unhindered grazing on grasslands, most of which in Kutch fall under the ambit of the revenue department and are considered wasteland. This allows them to be used for grazing, installing windmills and power stations, driving, et al, thereby encroaching upon the breeding and wintering ground of the GIB.

Then, post the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, large parcels of grassland were converted to agricultural land. Not only was this a ‘loss’ of the grassland, but the changing agricultural pattern that was a move away from traditional crops spelt doom for them. With the disappearance of the traditional Bajra and Jowar crops, whose by-products served as fodder, their food has been on the decline. An increase in the use of pesticides has further depleted the population of insects like the beetle, which the GIB and other birds feed on. Gadhavi also said that the decline in livestock fodder (from Bajra, Jowar) is also detrimental to the dairy industry, which the Gujarat State Government has been championing, highlighting the economic angle.

Too close for comfort

One could argue that there is a protected area for the GIB — the two square kilometre Kutch Bustard Sanctuary near Naliya. Birds, however, can hardly be limited to a certain space. Experts have found that a major breeding population of the bird thrives outside this area, exposing itself to dangerous ‘official’ boundaries.

For instance, there is an ‘L’-shaped patch of grassland under the revenue department in which 18 power lines are going to come up. Gadhavi said that this area is surrounded by the core area of the GIB, which is under the forest department. Such close proximity of the core area with high-tension power lines, therefore, makes the bird vulnerable. The demand therefore is to lay the power lines underground — for one km — instead of overhead.

The GIB is a heavy bird, weighing 15-16 kg, with a visibility band of just 30 per cent, making the power lines less visible until very close to collision. Keeping this in mind, the other suggestion is to use reflectors so that the bird can sense the warning and change course. “The GIB is a flagship species of the grassland; it determines the health of the grasslands, on which many other species of birds and animals, and even the dairy industry is dependent on,” Gadhavi said, adding that the lone male GIB in Kutch, roams around dangerously close to the power lines. “This is the last call for the GIB’s survival”.

The writer is a freelance journalist

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